Coming Home
by Torie46
Summary: Based off the movie "Exodus." A young Jewish Christian finds her way to Palestine and her family at the end of Hitler's Holocaust in 1947.
1. Cyprus and New Allies

Going Home

Chapter 1: Cyprus and New Allies

Summary: Based off the movie "_Exodus_" with Paul Newman. A young Christian Jew tries to find her way back to Palestine and her father after World War II's end. A lot of this is going to have accounts from other people's prison experiences during the Holocaust; Anne Frank being a huge account since the character was in Auschwitz and Bergin-Belsen at the same time as Anne Frank.

* * *

Hadassah ben Canaan fastened the Star of David around her neck as the lorry went down the streets of Cyprus. She had had the necklace since she was four. She had been given the necklace as a birthday gift from her father before he had left Czechoslovakia right before Adolf Hitler had taken control of the small country.

Her father had been born and raised in the British Mandate of Palestine. He had been trying to get passports and visas for her and her mother, but the Czech border had been locked and he couldn't get back in to get them out. He had sent her mother letters until the Nazis had cut off all the mail and she and her mother had emigrated to Rotterdam, Holland.

Her mother's people had been Dutch. They had come from Spain during the Spanish Inquisition and had been there since. Her father had been part of the British army in Palestine and had been in Czechoslovakia trying to get people to emigrate to Palestine when he had met her mother who had a special work permit as a teacher.

Her father had met her mother and had fallen in love instantly and she him. He had decided to stay with her and they had had Hadassah. Ari ben Canaan had been a devoted father and husband. His arms were strong and safe, but that safety hadn't lasted long.

10 years later and Hadassah was fourteen years old. Her health was precarious and she suffered from asthma attacks. Her mother and the rest of her mother's family had all died in Auschwitz, Dachau, and Mauthausen Concentration Camps in the last 11 months of the war in Europe and Hitler's Holocaust.

She had been separated from her mother at Auschwitz-Birkenau and sent to Terezin and Bergin-Belsen. Near starvation and typhus had almost killed her, but American and British soldiers had liberated the camps and had given the medicine that the Nazis had refused to give their Jewish prisoners. Hadassah still couldn't believe that the Nazis had all the medicine not even a mile away and hadn't even given it to their prisoners. It was just as if the Nazis had murdered people without shooting or gassing them.

Now that the war was over Hadassah had been given a special immunity since she was a British citizen, as well as Dutch and Czech. Of course that also meant she had to get her health back slowly. She had suffered first with malnutrition. She had been 30 pounds lighter than she should have been for an almost 11-year-old in 1945, but had managed to get it all back on. Now at 14 years old she was 112 pounds and was on the island of Cyprus so she could go to the British Mandate of Palestine.

This also was an excellent time to see if her father was still alive. Like the Czech Republic, Holland hadn't allowed Ari in to get his wife and daughter or even to see if they were all right. Hadassah looked up in shock, jolted from her thoughts, as a dark-haired Jewish boy jumped from the lorrie she was on and British soldiers shouted.

She really didn't know all the people she was with. They, like her, had been Jews who had survived the death camps and had passports and visas for Palestine. Of course Hadassah had an automatic passport since her father's passport covered her and he was part of the British army. Of course he had no idea that she was even coming. He probably thought she had died since he hadn't heard her voice in 10 years.

A girl who was sitting next to her frowned. She looked like an Aryan with her blonde hair and blue. Hadassah had blue eyes, but this girl's was a shade lighter. "What was he thinking?" She whispered to Hadassah as they looked at the boy trying to outrun the British soldiers.

"No idea, but he'd better be careful," Hadassah said, her two years in England evident in her voice.

"Are you British?" The girl asked.

"Not really. I have a British passport, but I'm a Czech, Dutch, and Palestinian Jew. I am Hadassah ben Canaan," Hadassah introduced herself.

"Karen Hansen. I'm from Denmark. My parents were arrested and I was adopted by a Danish couple. I'm going to Palestine to find my father. My mother died," Karen explained, eyes downcast.

"My mother did too in Auschwitz. My father is part of the British forces in Palestine. I'm going there to find him too," Hadassah said, feeling sympathy for Karen.

"I wonder why they didn't just send you to live with him before Hitler took over your countries," Karen mused.

"I haven't the slightest idea. I don't even know if Papa would recognize me. It's been 10 years and I don't know if he knows that Mama died," Hadassah said in despair.

"I think he would. Maybe he thinks you're dead too," Karen said, failing to sound helpful.

"I thought of that. So many times I wished I had died. I was a 60-pound walking skeleton at Bergin-Belsen with a tattooed number on my arm," Hadassah said, rubbing her left forearm. The number J389-1872 was still there. The doctors in England had said it would be impossible to remove since it was on the veins in her arm and she could bleed to death.

Hadassah nearly started as two or three British soldiers came to the parked lorrie and threw the runaway Jewish boy into the truck. His face was bloody and bruised and he was groaning while he grabbed at his ribs. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a number on his arm. He was a concentration camp survivor like her!

Hadassah reached over and touched his head gently. He looked up at her with pain-filled eyes. "Are you all right?" Hadassah asked, concern in her dark-blue eyes.

"I think so. Who are you?" The boy asked.

"Hadassah ben Canaan And you?" Hadassah asked as she and Karen propped him up against the wooden supports behind them.

"Dov Landau," the boy said as Hadassah pulled off her trench coat and covered him with it.

"What did you hope to accomplish by running like that?" Karen wanted to know.

"I was thinking I could get to Palestine without all this," Dov admitted with a half-hearted smile.

"Fat chance. I have a passport to Palestine, but they won't let me out of the Displaced Persons Camp unless I can prove that I don't have indigestion or some other nonsense. I would get in contact with Papa if I knew where he was," Hadassah said in annoyance.

"Yeah, the Mufti doesn't want us any more than the countries we came from. It's like they don't want to accept the fact that we are the survivors of a race that Hitler murdered," Dov said bitterly.

"Can't argue with that. They looked the other way as our families were killed. I hope they can sleep with themselves at night after seeing how some of us looked at the end of the war," Hadassah said as the left the city and rattled down an old dirt road. Well, at least they weren't walking like the Nazis made them do when they arrived at a new death camp. Hadassah remembered the hours that she and 100 other women prisoners had stood before allowing them to sleep the night they arrived at Birkenau. Her legs had ached unmercifully and it was snowing.

* * *

The Displaced Persons Camp looked like a concentration camp with barbed wire and soldiers standing sentry. There were no gas chambers, disease, or terrible food. (Or no food in Bergin-Belsen's case.)

Hadassah jumped down from the lorrie. Dov had had to be carried by a strong-looking Greek Jew. He had given Hadassah back her trench coat without a word and carried Dov into the already-crowded camp. All right this was Bergin-Belsen. Hadassah only hoped she didn't have to sleep someplace crawling with fleas and lice and enough typhus to fell an elephant.

The other main difference was that there was no swastika on the flags or British uniforms that the soldiers wore. But no matter. The same foul demon that was in Hitler and the Nazis was still here, even among the British soldiers who were giving the new arrivals disgusted looks.

"So, where are we going?" Karen asked as Hadassah put on her coat and picked up her two small leather valises. One was full of clothes and the other contained books that she had acquired in England.

"I guess we follow them to the sign that says "Processing" over there," Hadassah said, indicating the crowd and the procession center. The sign was written in Hebrew, British, and German.

"You can read that?" Karen asked, surprised.

"German and Dutch are almost the same and I learned English 2 years ago, including how to read it. Sad to say I don't speak or read Hebrew any more. My grandfather used to speak Hebrew, but I haven't heard it in a long time and my knowledge ran out," Hadassah said, walking towards the procession center.

"You don't think they'll hurt us do you?" Karen asked nervously.

"I don't think so. I don't see gas chambers or mass graves," Hadassah said, wiping her sweaty forehead.

"I hope you're right," Karen said, still sounding nervous. Hadassah hoped she was too. Life was too short to go through a genocide a second time. Hadassah gulped hard as she stepped in front of a registration desk and a grim-faced woman.

* * *

Ari ben Canaan walked out of the ocean and onto the beach of Cyprus around two O'clock in the morning. In his mid-thirties he felt like he was getting too old for this; swimming in the ocean and smuggling the Holocaust survivors to Palestine. If he had found his daughter, Hadassah, and his wife, Lotje, he would have let a younger soldier do this, but it was not to be.

Lotje had been gassed upon her arrival at Auschwitz-Birkenau and no word had ever come back on Hadassah after Ari had sent inquiries about her through the Red Cross. Hadassah would be fourteen now. She had looked like her mother at four-years-old, except with blue eyes like his and a lighter tint of brown hair with blonde highlights in it. Like him she might have passed for non-Jewish. It had been her name and the fact that he was a Jewish soldier that had probably doomed his wife and daughter.

"How many?" Ari whispered to his friend Reuben. Reuben was part of the Haganah with Ari. They had been soldiers in the British army and Reuben had deserted with Ari over two years ago. They were as close as brothers. Reuben handed him a towel and shirt and Ari dried his muscle-hard chest and arms, putting on the shirt.

"611 Jewish refugees arrived from the Star of David fishing ship. They were all placed at Carolas. A few men and boys, but mostly women and children. A lot of them were young girls between 11 and 18," Reuben whispered quietly.

"In the same age bracket as my daughter would have been," Ari said with a bittersweet smile. Seeing four-year-old girls and fourteen-year-old girls was painful to say the least. A few months ago a little Jewish girl had fallen down on one of the boats and Ari had felt his insides rip apart as the child cried in his arms. It served to remind him how much he had wished the girl had been Hadassah.

"There's no point in pining for a little girl who's dead, my friend," Reuben said, sympathy in his dark eyes.

"You sound like my father. That's what he said when I refused to see the children at the Gan Dafna Kibbutz," Ari said ruefully.

"Barak is probably right. Anyways if she survived, you wouldn't be raising a four-year-old girl. She'd be fourteen and has had her Bat Mitzvah. She'd be accorded all the privileges of our people," David said.

"I guess after 10 years it's too late to hope for her. I was hoping that I could find her among all the refugees we smuggle into Palestine," Ari said, blinking against the burning tears in his eyes or was it salt from the Mediterranean Sea?

"The car's up there," Reuben said, changing the subject.

"Good. We'll go directly to Mandria," Ari said briskly.

"We can't, Ari. He's on the other side of the island. He won't be back until tomorrow," Reuben said to Ari's frustration.

"He should be on this side of the island!" Ari bit off as he strode to the car. If he couldn't save Hadassah things at least were going to go right.

* * *

Hadassah sat in front of the tent she shared with Karen, a book in her hands. Since she had been liberated from Belsen, she had read any book she could get her hands on; all of which were written in English. Her grandfather and uncle would have protested loudly since Yiddish, Hebrew, and German were the only languages read and spoken in the Bergin household.

Sadly to say Hadassah's knowledge of Hebrew and Yiddish had died in the gas chambers of Auschwitz with her family. Except for a few words like "mazel tov" and "Omaine," she couldn't speak or read Hebrew and Yiddish.

Hadassah rubbed her eyes and looked up from her copy of "_A Tale of Two Cities_." Karen was walking towards her with a blonde-haired woman who had the kindest smile and blue eyes that were about the same color as Hadassah's.

"Kitty, this is my friend Hadassah ben Canaan. Hadassah, this is Kitty Fremont. She's been helping me and Dr. Odenheim in the infirmary. I wanted her to see if she could remove your tattoo," Karen said optimistically.

"I don't know. A British doctor said it was on my veins and if I was to remove it I could bleed to death," Hadassah said reluctantly.

"Why don't I look at it and give you a second opinion?" Kitty asked. Hadassah held out her left arm and bared the forearm.

"Are you an American?" Hadassah asked as Kitty examined her arm.

"Yes. How did a British girl find herself in a concentration camp?" Kitty asked.

"I'm not really British. I'm a Jew. I was born in Czechoslovakia and emigrated to Holland in 1939. I was in Bergin-Belsen in Germany when the war ended. They found out that I'm a citizen of the British Mandate of Palestine. They took me to England and I acquired this accent. I wish to learn Hebrew again. If I can find my Papa then he could teach me the language," Hadassah explained. Kitty then released Hadassah's arm.

"Well, can it be removed, Kitty?" Karen asked hopefully.

"That British doctor was right. It can't be removed. It would be as if you slit your wrists and committed suicide," Kitty said as Hadassah pulled down the sleeve of her shirt.

"Thank you. I didn't think the British doctor was right. I'm glad I was able to get a second opinion," Hadassah said with a smile.

"You know, I was going to the beach tomorrow. Would the two of you like to come?" Kitty asked.

"Sounds like fun," Karen said eagerly.

"Anything to get out of this camp. I'll come," Hadassah said.

"I guess I'll pick you two up tomorrow after church. I just hope that the beach isn't too crowded," Kitty said. It had taken Hadassah awhile to get used to church on Sundays instead of Synagogue on Saturdays, but Hadassah now went to church on Sunday as she had converted to Christianity before the war had begun. It had been another reason why she had gone to Terezin. A lot of Jews who had become Christians had been sent there. A belief in Jesus had not spared them from Hitler's wrath or his need to make them scapegoats with anyone else who was of Jewish descent.


	2. Sunday Morning Business and Leisure

Chapter 2- Sunday Morning Business and Leisure Time

Ari walked the deserted streets the next day. Businesses were closed on Sunday, so no one was on the street. Ari had gone to Synagogue as a boy, and when he had married Lotje, on Saturdays. It was an oddity for, what the Christians referred to as church, to be on Sunday when everyone knew the Eternal rested on Saturday and the one the Christians and Messianic Jews called, Yeshua, worshiped on Saturday.

He had seen people on the trawlers he used to smuggle Jews into Palestine praising Yeshua on both Saturday and Sunday. The Messianic Jews observed the laws of Moses the lawgiver and followed the teachings of Yeshua as well. It had surprised him the first time when he had picked up 20 Catholic Jews and they had crossed themselves and said prayers in Latin and then switched to Yiddish and Hebrew and wore talliths.

He found himself wondering if Hadassah had converted to Christianity. Lotje had told him that her father was a rabbi at a synagogue for Christian Jews. So it stood to reason that his daughter might have become a Christian.

Ari entered a shop and saw his friends and Mandria, standing there, waiting for him. "Shalom," Ari greeted Reuben.

"Shalom, Ari," Reuben shook Ari's hand.

"David, how are you?" Ari greeted his sister, Jordana's, boyfriend. David had been assigned to Cyprus by the Haganah and helped get together lists of Jews to smuggle into Palestine.

"Mr. Mandria, this is Ari ben Canaan," David introduced Ari to a portly man with a beard.

"Welcome," Mr. Mandria said, shaking Ari's hand.

"I'm very pleased to meet you. We've heard good things about you in Palestine, Mr. Mandria," Ari said.

"Rumors, but I like them," Mandria said nonchalantly.

"So do we," Ari said.

"Please sit down. Cigarette?" Mandria offered as they sat.

"No thanks," Ari said, taking a cigarette out of his shirt pocket. Lotje had hated the things, but Ari had only smoked occasionally and he had never smoked in front of his daughter. "Well then, how many people have you got by now in that barbed wire jungle of yours?" Ari asked.

"Over 30,000 and they're building for 30,000 more on the other side of the island," Mandria said, pointing with his cigar.

"How many people arrived yesterday on the Star of David?" Ari asked, putting his cigarette in his mouth.

"611," David said.

"Well, we're going to take the same 611 off the island and land them in Palestine," Ari said, lighting his cigarette.

"611?" Mandria asked in surprise as he looked at David and Reuben.

"He thinks he's Moses," Reuben laughed.

"Ari, we haven't been able to bring more than 10 or 15 on the ships," David protested.

"This will be a new experience. One more thing; there's a time limit. Today is Sunday. We'll stage the break a week from tomorrow," Ari said.

"Next Monday?" Mandria asked surprised.

"Why not tomorrow?" Reuben asked.

"Ari, we cannot do it," David said grimly.

"David, the United Nations will vote on the Palestine issue before the end of its present session. Between now and then we have to show the world that the thousands and thousands of homeless Jews of Europe are not going to accept any solution that bars them from Palestine. A mass escape. The very same people who arrived yesterday on the Star of David is worth more than a million speeches," Ari said, standing up and walking to a bookshelf.

"But this isn't the Red Sea, Ari. It's the Mediterranean," Reuben said.

"You're right. Smite these waters as much as you will, they will not part," Mandria agreed.

"That's why you have to get us a ship, Mr. Mandria. I want a legitimate freighter with legal registry and legal cargo we can unload right here in Cyprus," Ari said.

"A ship? For six- That's a wonderful idea!" Mandria interrupted himself and standing up. "Brilliant! It will be expensive, to bring in the frigate also," Mandria said, taking a puff on his cigar.

"Not to brilliant. You know our treasury is based on donations and right now we are rather low," Ari said. "Well, can you deliver or not?" Ari asked impatiently after a few seconds of silence.

"I'll do my best. For the Jews, Mandria will do everything," Mandria said, clapping Ari's shoulder before going back to his desk.

"The Jews have paid you well for your efforts, Mr. Mandria," Ari said, feeling his temper rising.

"Ari, you don't understand-" David started to say.

"No, no. I understand. Do you believe that I, Plato Mandria, would do this for money? Do you think I'd risk 10 years in prison for money? I tell you it has cost me over 5, 000 pounds since I have started working with the Haganah," Mandria said ruefully.

"You owe him an apology, Ari," Reuben said firmly.

Ari looked at his friends and sighed. "I do apologize, Mr. Mandria, for my stupid remark. I have a daughter I haven't seen in 10 years and I have been worried about her. She'd be 14 years old," Ari said.

"It's not necessary. If I apologized each time for being stupid I'd spend a lifetime on my knees," Mandria said goodnaturedly.

"Also we'll need 14 lorries," Ari said, getting back to business.

"14? You can have well as 1400!" Mandria exclaimed.

"Ari, the British requisition for every car and truck is on this island. The Haganah makes mistakes just like everyone else," David said. "And this is one of them.

"David, I want to hear every objection, every criticism, every suggestion but only once. Now have the project underway, Mr. Mandria," Ari said firmly.

"Almost accomplished. I'll send a telegram to a friend of Mandria's," Mandria said, sitting down.

"The British don't monitor telegrams?" Ari asked concerned.

""Not thoroughly, but some of the money talks better. They'd like to see the Britains in Europe, the Jews in Palestine, and the Cyprian in Cyprus. Not, mind you, that I am anti-British. If I must have a master the British are by far the best. The only problem, my dear friends, is why have a master at all. I'd rather have God," Mandria said as he left the room.

Reuben grinned as he looked at his friends and Ari smoked his cigarette. "You shouldn't have hurt him, Ari. He's a real friend. He told me he wanted to send some of the Jewish boys and girls in the camp to the Hebrew University on Mt. Scopus," Reuben said.

"Maybe, but don't let the Mandria's of the world fool you. They work for you and tell us how terrible it was that six million Jews went into the oven. But when the showdown comes we always stand alone. Mandria will sell us out like all the others. We have no friends. Just ourselves. Remember that," Ari said sternly.

"You're wrong, Ari. But you're going to have to learn that for yourself. Now tell me, how's Jordana?" David asked, changing the subject to Ari's sister.

"I think she's in love," Ari teased as he handed David a letter.

"You didn't tell me you had this letter since last night!" David accused as he opened it.

"I just forgot about it. He's in love with Jordana. He thinks everyone else is," Ari said to Reuben.

"He's right. Does she mention me in there?" Reuben asked, trying to read the letter over David's shoulder. Ari smiled, but felt the moment go as he thought of Lotje and Hadassah. Lotje had been one of the six million killed and, quite possibly, Hadassah as well. It was hard to think anyone cared after so many had died in the ovens.

* * *

Mandria came back soon after that to tell Ari he had a ship and before Ari could think about it, he was standing on a run-down fishing boat; otherwise known as a coffin ship. A coffin ship had been used during the war, but the passengers normally died on the ship because no country would let them in.

"Isn't she a beauty?" Mandria asked exuberantly. Ari looked around. It was filthy and dilapidated, but no one would figure that the Haganah were using it to smuggle illegal Jews into Palestine.

"_Ari, it's not appropriate," _Ari heard Lotje's voice resound in his ear. Lotje was a stickler for cleanliness being next to Godliness. He never thought he'd miss her getting upset over his leaving papers in a mess or his shoes in the middle of the floor. Then again he had thought that his having a Palestinian passport and visa could get Lotje and Hadassah into his country. He had been wrong on so many counts.

"You must have it towed across," Ari said, looking around. Ari still didn't trust Mandria, so there was no point in letting him see that the boat might work.

"All right, she isn't a beauty, but her heart is of solid oak. You'll see," Mandria recanted his previous statement.

"Ari," a man in a captain's hat came to him and shook his hand.

"Hank, how are you?" Ari asked in a friendly tone. Hank was an American Jew who, like Ari, had lost his wife and children in the Auschwitz crematoriums. Hank had joined the Haganah and had proved an invaluable friend and ally. "Hank, this is Mandria. Mandria, Hank's run more ships through the blockade, after the war, than anyone," Ari introduced the two men and they shook hands.

"It was Mr. Mandria that arranged this," Ari said, looking at the concern on Hank's face. It was obvious Hank wondered if Mandria could be trusted.

"Not a bad ship, huh?" Mandria asked with a good-natured laugh.

"Not a good one, Mr. Mandria," Hank said, just as goodnaturedly.

"For the money we pay every ship can't be the Great Harry," Mandria said to everyone's amusement.

"Can the Olympia make it to Palestine?" Ari asked.

"On my mother's honor she has made 300 trips from Cyprus to Turkey and was fast on her own," Mandria bragged.

"That's just the trouble. We can always try just one more run on a better ship than this," Hank said.

"I want a loudspeaker system aboard. A power unit that can float down to 600 people," Ari said, looking around as he walked.

"There is no such equipment for sale on Cyprus!" Mandria said with a feeble laugh.

"If you can't buy it, steal it. Stock us with provisions for five days," Ari said, ignoring the twinge of guilt at the thought of stealing anything. All Jewish children had been taught 'Thou Shalt Not Steal" since the time before they knew what stealing was. Ari had been the one to teach Hadassah right from wrong. And now he was doing what he had told her not to do.

"I can only do two days!" Mandria argued.

"For five days and all prepared food. Neither canned or packaged," Ari said, having none of Mandria's argument.

"They're the most expensive, naturally," Mandria grumbled.

"Have you got my jeep yet?" Ari asked.

"I told you it's impossible. A jeep is out of the question. Absolutely," Mandria said, wiping his forehead with a silk handkerchief.

"What about the engine tank? Will you need someone to overhaul it?" Ari asked Hank.

"No, no. I can take care of that," Hank said.

"Mr. Mandria, what about that jeep over there?" Ari asked, pointing to a parked car on the concrete dock.

"What? That? It belongs to his beatitude, the Greek Orthodox archbishop of Cyprus," Mandria said, a look of consternation on his face.

"Steal it," Ari said firmly. Usually Ari tried to avoid stealing from Christians since he had married a Christian Jew and a lot of them helped the Haganah. But the archbishop's car was the only one he could see that would work for his plans. "Paint it. Hide it until I'm ready for it."

* * *

Hadassah ben Canaan sat next to Kitty as Karen splashed in the ocean. Because of the Nazi identification number on her arm and a few bruises and whip marks on her back and legs Hadassah couldn't join her friend. A bathing suit would reveal her injuries. So she just sat back with a book in the balmy sun.

"Are you sure you don't want to go into the ocean, Hadassah?" Kitty asked, finishing a cup of her tea.

"I'm positive. I'll just sit here and read while I'm smelling the salt air," Hadassah said with a wan smile.

"Well, it's about time to leave. That's why I asked," Kitty said as the waiter poured some more tea in Kitty's and Hadassah's teacups. Hadassah had always hated the taste of tea, but she was too polite to say so. All she could do was force down each cup as it was poured. After two years of recuperating in England she still couldn't get used to the taste of tea.

"Well, you'd better call Karen now. She'll never want to leave the beach otherwise," Hadassah said, suppressing a shudder as she took a sip of tea and Kitty called Karen.

Karen ran to the table, her golden hair dripping wet and a happy smile on her face. "Oh, that was wonderful! May I have another swim before me and Hadassah have to leave?" Karen asked, plopping down next to Hadassah.

"Just one more because we're due back at the camp," Kitty said in a warning voice with a smile.

"Are these the two girls you were telling me about?" A British general with a kind look in his eyes asked as he sat down and looked at Hadassah and then the shore where Karen was swimming.

"Yes," Kitty said.

"You don't swim, girl?" The general asked Hadassah.

"No Sir. I did for a short time before the Nazis invaded Holland, but after that Jewish children weren't allowed to swim at any of the beaches or swimming pools. Then the Nazis arrested me and my family and I have a tattoo and a few bruises," Hadassah said, fingering the handle of her teacup.

"These girls are rather nice girls," the general said.

"Hmmm. Would it be too difficult for me to arrange to take them back to America with me?" Kitty asked, taking Hadassah completely by surprise.

"Not from our end it wouldn't. We'd be glad to let them all go so long as they don't end up in Palestine," the general said. "Let me know what you decided. I'll get Captain Caldwell to arrange it for you." the general stood. Hadassah was glad to see him go. Kitty had said that he was sympathetic to the Jews, but it seemed as if he wanted to keep the Jews out of their homeland.

"Thank you. Karen!" Kitty yelled toward the surf. Karen came running, breathing hard. She sat next to Hadassah in front of a plate of salad. "Karen, Hadassah, would the two of you like to go to America?" Kitty asked kindly.

"Of course. Everybody would like to go to America," Karen said, cutting her salad with a knife and fork.

"I don't know. We're not exactly orphans. We have family in Palestine. At least I hope we do," Hadassah said nervously as she gnawed her lip.

"Then you two should go. I'll cancel the rest of my trip and I'll take you with me. And you can go to school there and then later to the University. And if you like it and want to you can become American citizens," Kitty said with exuberance.

Karen and Hadassah both looked at each other before looking at Kitty. "You mean go right away?" Karen asked.

"Perhaps in the next week or two. Meanwhile, I may be able to get you both out of camp. I'll speak to the general tonight. What's the matter, Karen, Hadassah?" Kitty asked, finally noticing sad looks on the girls faces and that they had stopped eating.

"Nothing," Hadassah said, trying to control her shaking voice.

"Well, you both want to go, don't you?" Kitty asked.

"Yes, but we...we must think about it a little bit," Karen said, forcing a smile.

"What is there to think about?" Kitty asked, confused.

"We don't know, but it's important and we need a little time. My father used to say think things through before you decide on that kind of decision," Hadassah explained.

"Take all the time you wish," Kitty said in a strangled, hurt voice.

"Kitty?" Karen asked.

"Yes?" Kitty asked.

"Don't be mad at us," Karen begged.

"Of course not. It's getting late. You'd better finish your food." Kitty changed the subject abruptly, but Hadassah could see she was still hurt.


	3. Massive Jailbreak and Bluffing

Chapter 3- Massive Jailbreak and Bluffing

**A/N: This is the chapter where Ari sees Hadassah after 10 years! **

It had been a week since Kitty had made her offer to take Hadassah and Karen to America. Karen had more or less made up her mind. Hadassah had decided to go, but she hadn't told Kitty yet. Karen had told Kitty the night before in the infirmary tent. All Hadassah could do was send a not saying she'd go. Kitty hadn't responded yet, but it was still early Monday morning.

Hadassah had only one misgiving; her father. What if she should stay in Cyprus? Her father might find her. He might be alive and searching for her.

Hadassah stepped out of the tent she slept in with Karen. The air in the camp was suffocating and wreaked havoc with her asthmatic lungs. But at least in Cyprus it wouldn't be freezing cold like it was in Auschwitz-Birkenau, Terezin, or Bergin-Belsen. It was only crowded like Belsen and they slept in tents like a lot of the prisoners did in the first few days there.

Hadassah quirked her eyebrows as people hurried past her, valises and suitcases in hand. Dov rushed past her and she grasped his arm. "Dov, what's happening?" Hadassah asked.

"Get your suitcase and valise. We're being moved. Everyone who came off the Star of David," Dov explained, short of breath.

"Did they say where we are going?" Hadassah asked in a panic.

"No. They just said over the loudspeakers that we're leaving this camp, "Dov said, going into the crowd. Hadassah ran into her tent and packed her valise and one suitcase. She threw her trenchcoat on over her threadbare clothes and removed her Star of David necklace, laying it on her pillow. Kitty would find it when she came and realize that Karen and Hadassah were gone.

Hadassah went to the front gate where lorries loading men, women, and children were. A handful of men, dressed in British uniforms stood there. Hadassah walked up to a tall man with muscular arms and dark-blond, almost reddish, hair.

"Excuse me, Sir, but where are we going?" Hadassah asked, feeling slightly out of breath and starting to wheeze.

* * *

Ari looked down at the young girl who was panting and wheezing. He had seen a lot of Jews that had fragile health since the war had ended. He just had never seen one quite so young or looking like what he had always imagined Hadassah would look like at 14 years old.

"Are you all right, girl?" Ari asked. It wouldn't do for a frail concentration camp survivor to die on him before he could get her to Palestine. "I'm fine and my name's not 'Girl.' It's Hadassah ben Canaan," the girl said defiantly.

Ari felt as if the girl had hit him right between the eyes as he looked at her. How many Jewish girls had that name? Hadassah was common. There would be a million Hadassahs in Palestine and maybe a hundred on the Olympia. The name 'ben Canaan' was not. His father and Uncle Akiva had changed their names when they came to Palestine 30 years before.

"You have spirit for one so young. I'll forgive you this time for sassing me, but don't do that again. I do spank willful children," Ari said, looking at her briefly as he looked at his clipboard. If this girl was his daughter, now wasn't the time to act as her father.

"I'm not a child. I'm 14," Hadassah said stonily.

"To me that's still a child. Ask me nicely and I'll tell you the truth," Ari said, finding Hadassah's name on the clipboard. So there was a Jewess on the list of 611 Jews to be smuggled into Palestine that had his daughter's name.

Ari looked up at her again. He had to have been blind not to see it. She had Lotje's brunette hair with blonde streaks in it. She had his blue eyes, but she looked more like Jordana when Jordana was fourteen years old. It had been 10 years, but he could see that some things remained the same. She looked painfully thin and was wearing threadbare clothing and a trenchcoat that was two sizes too big. She had one suitcase and a valise. And from the wheezing it didn't take a doctor to see that she was ill.

It was all he could do not to take her in his arms. He had to wait for that aboard the Olympia. In the meantime she could ride in the jeep. He would rather she be there than in a lorrie with the erratic way she was wheezing.

"So where are we going?" Hadassah asked, bringing another thing to Ari's attention; her British accent.

"You'll see. Would you like to ride in the jeep with me?" Ari asked.

"Why?" Hadassah asked suspiciously.

"Because you're ill and there's not any air in a crowded lorrie," Ari explained. He almost said also that he was her father and he just gave her an order, but now wasn't the time or place to reveal that earth-shattering news.

"I'll be fine. I think I see my friend, Karen. I think I'll ride in the lorry," Hadassah said, running to a parked lorry and hugging a blonde-haired girl. Ari almost stopped her, but she was on the lorrie before he could say anything.

* * *

Ari watched for his daughter as the lorries carrying the Jews from the Star of David arrived at the docks. A long line of Lorries were just sitting there and from the way it looked none of them had moved past the checkpoint to where the Olympia waited for the. Air moved forward to see what the problem was.

A young, thin boy of about 20 or 21 stood in front of the entrance to the docks. "Here are the orders. Why aren't these people going through?" Ari asked impatiently as he handed papers to the soldier.

"I'm afraid this is most unusual, Sir. We've had no warning. I'll have to check with headquarters," the boy said, sounding like an incompetent fool.

"This all is perfectly clear to me. Signed by a colonial officer and General Sutherland," Ari said as the soldier snapped to attention and saluted. Ari turned and saw another man with Captain's ranks on his uniform. Ari saluted back, keeping up the pretense that he was a British soldier. He had been during the war. So it wasn't hard to pretend in that way.

"What's the meaning of this? Now the whole area is tied up," the Captain said angrily.

"O'Hara, Sir," the boy said.

"Bowen, Sir. 23rd GT Company. Special detail, ordered by General Sutherland," Ari said crisply.

"Here's his papers, Sir," O'Hara said, handing the papers to the Captain.

The Captain grinned as he read. "Well, Bowen, I see you're going to get rid of some Jews for us," the Captain said, nearly causing Ari to want to hit him.

"Yes Sir. Shipping the whole kaboodle of them back to Hamburg," Ari said, hoping the lie was convincing. Hadassah's life depended on it. It was.

"In my opinion that's where they belong. It's a German matter. Let the Germans handle it. Apparently the General has had second thoughts about it. Why do you question these orders, O'Hara?" The Captain asked, handing the papers back.

"I wasn't questioning, Sir. I just wanted to check with headquarters. Counter signing orders is not the duty of junior officers," the boy argued. Okay, maybe the boy wasn't a fool, but of all days to question an order! Usually Ari would have checked an order like this, but he had been hoping the boy wouldn't.

"Acceptance of responsibility is what makes a senior officer out of juniors," the Captain said smugly. "Let them through." Ari had to school his features to keep from smiling. Hadassah's life had just been saved and he was this close to claiming his child. Even if she wasn't aware that he was her father. "We started this policy two years ago after the war. Oh, I don't care about the Jews one way or the other. Oh, they are troublemakers, aren't they?" The Captain asked conversationally.

Ari knew he had better disown his daughter for a short time or they had no chance of getting through. But that still didn't quell the anger Ari felt at this man for insulting Hadassah.

"Oh, no question about it, Sir. You get two of them together and you've got a debate on your hands on what foods they eat for their dietary laws," Ari said as the lorries pulled away and the Captain laughed.

"One half are commoners anyway," the Captain said.

"Where is the other half? Probably killed by the Germans," Ari said, watching carefully for Hadassah as the trucks went by.

"And they look funny too. I can spot one a mile away," the Captain bragged.

_Oh, really? You didn't spot me, _Ari thought contemptuously. "Do you feel like looking in my eye, Sir. I feel a cinder," Ari said, feeling like he was playing an awful joke since this man said he could spot Jews and didn't realize that Ari was Jewish. One of the things said about Jews that was entirely untrue was their looks. They were said to be dark-haired, dark-eyed, and dark-skinned. Ari, his sister, and Hadassah all had blue eyes, a lighter shade of hair, and while Ari and Jordana had tanned skin, their skin wasn't as dark as anti-Semites claimed. A lot of Jews did have the features that the anti-Semites claimed, but a lot didn't.

"Certainly. You know a lot of them try to hide under Gentile names. But one look at their face and you just know," the Captain said, examining Ari's eye.

"With plenty of experience you can even smell them out," Ari said as the Captain stepped back.

"I'm sorry, Bowen. I can't find a thing," the Captain apologized.

"Possibly my imagination. Thanks," Ari said, biting the inside of his cheek and trying not to laugh as a taxi came up and a beautiful blonde stepped out.

"Captain Caldwell, are they taking everyone who was on the Star of David?" She asked in a panic.

"Yes, Ma'am, we are," Ari filled in, coming over to join her and the Captain.

"Karen and Hadassah are on those trucks!" The woman exclaimed.

"Karen and Hadassah?" Ari asked. He had a feeling that she meant his Hadassah, but he had no idea who Karen was.

"Karen Hansen and Hadassah ben Canaan. I had General Sutherland's permission to take them to America with me," the woman said, confirming for Ari that this woman knew Hadassah if she was willing to take her to America.

"We were on our way to Carolas to pick up the girls," the Captain said.

"How old are they?" Ari asked, knowing full well his daughter's age.

"14. Karen was assigned to the hospital. I don't know much about Hadassah. I know she survived the death camps. I only met her when Karen wanted me to see if I could remove her Nazi identification number on her left forearm," the woman explained.

Ari had to think quick. "Oh. Uh, it seems to me that we- Are those the girls at the Palestinian camp that the commander was talking about?" Ari asked, looking like he was thinking hard.

"David ben Ami. Yes. He knew they were supposed to go with me," the woman agreed.

"Yes, I remember now. A chap told me the General had made arrangements for two of the youngsters. So I left them behind. On my own responsibility," Ari said. He didn't feel bad lying about Hadassah. She was his daughter first and as nice as she was this woman couldn't have her.

"Thank goodness!" The Captain exclaimed.

"Thank you very much," the woman said, walking away.

"I appreciate your help, Sir. Would you convey my respect to the General?" Ari asked.

"That I will. A bit of a Jew himself though," the Captain said confidentially.

"Not really!" Ari exclaimed in feigned shock.

"Hmmm. Well, good luck, Bowen!" The Captain said, saluting Ari and getting into the taxi.

Ari got into the jeep and raced to the docks, his mind on Hadassah. So, she had been tattooed like every other Jew at Auschwitz-Birkenau. The woman had said that she was attempting to remove the number.

The dock was crowded as Ari's jeep came to a stop. He looked quickly and saw Hadassah helping unload suitcases and a bunch of small children from a lorrie. His heart raced at the sight of her. She had been a beautiful baby and little girl. His friends had always said that fathers wanted sons, but Ari hadn't cared that he had been given a daughter.

"Okay, that's the last one!" Hadassah's British accent came through the crowd and she picked up her own suitcase and valise.

"Hank, bring me that young girl," Ari whispered to his friend, his eyes on Hadassah as they crowd moved to the gangplank.

"Which one? I'm seeing a lot of young girls," Hank said.

"That one in the trenchcoat and yellowed, threadbare clothes," Ari said, his eyes watering as he saw her smile faintly at the little girl whose hand she was holding.

"All right. What should I tell her?" Hank asked.

"Tell her that her father wishes to see her and he won't take no for an answer," Ari said. Hank's eyes widened in surprise.

"You mean that girl is your girl?" Hank asked.

"Yes. Now go. I haven't seen my daughter in 10 years," Ari said. He watched as Hank walked to her and spoke to her. Hadassah's face fell as she looked right at him and a defiant look entered her blue eyes.

* * *

Hadassah pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she picked up her valise and suitcase. The ship, the Olympia, looked like a coffin ship. Hadassah had only heard about those from the jibes of Nazi soldiers in the death camps. They seemed to have a perverse pleasure in telling people of the Jewish race that other Jews had died.

"Excuse me, excuse me. Are you Hadassah ben Canaan?" A voice asked. Hadassah turned and saw a man dressed as a fisherman or some kind of boat captain.

"Yes," Hadassah said.

"The Captain wishes to see you," the man said, indicating the British Captain who stood off at a distance. Hadassah couldn't be sure, but it looked as if he was looking right at her. Hadassah wasn't sure if she liked him. He had threatened to spank her.

"Tell him no," Hadassah said stonily, lifting her chin in defiance as she looked at the Captain.

"He won't take no for an answer. He said to tell you that as your father he wishes to see you," the man said. Hadassah felt all the blood drain out of her face as she looked quickly at the Captain.

"Tell him I still say no and what right does he have to pretend to be my father?" Hadassah asked, stepping onto the gangplank and onto the ship before the fisherman-captain could say anything else.

* * *

Ari watched as Hadassah disappeared into the crowds on the Olympia and Hank came back to him. "I tried, Ari. That girl of yours is a brick wall. She said what right did you have to pretend you were her father?" Hank said, looking dejected.

"She didn't believe you?" Ari asked amused.

"No. That girl has been hurt by someone. I don't think she's going to come running into your arms instantly. She's going to have to see that you are her father," Hank warned.

"I should have known it wouldn't be that easy. She is a lot like my wife, but I can see my worst faults in her. Faults I never wanted her to have. It's also been 10 years. I have probably changed too much as she has. What I want you to do is find her. Tell her I want to see her and if she refuses, pick her up and bring her to me," Ari said firmly.

"She's going to be angry with you," Hank said wryly as he walked away.

"Don't I know it," Ari muttered. Hadassah really did look a like her mother, but he really could see the part that was all him when she was being defiant. He boarded the ship, keeping his eyes open for Hadassah.


	4. Family Reunion and Trapped in Cyprus

Chapter 4- Family Reunion and Trapped in Cyprus

Hadassah carefully handed her suitcase to Dov, who was in the hold with other strong men and boys, grabbing luggage as it was handed down to them. Hadassah tried, with little success, to fight off her irritation. The Captain had the absolute nerve to be her father or, pretend, to be him!

The ship was closed in and Hadassah was also feeling the effects of the asthma that she had contracted after Bergin-Belsen had been liberated. Being this upset wasn't helping her breathing slow and she was wheezing violently. The fisherman that had given her the orders from her so-called father came up to her.

"I'm sorry, Miss ben Canaan, but your father wants me to bring you to him," the man said apologetically.

"Still playing that game, are we? And what if I still say no?" Hadassah asked, jutting out her chin defiantly.

"Your father said if you don't I'm to pick you up and carry you to him," the man said.

"I see I don't have many options," Hadassah said grudgingly as she followed the man.

Hadassah felt her asthma worsen as soon as she stepped on the stairs leading up to the Captain's helm. Stairs were really a bad idea since she got winded so easily.

Hadassah stepped into the helm. 5 or 6 men, besides the fisherman-Captain were in the room. The Captain, claiming to be Ari ben Canaan, was issuing orders to everyone when the fisherman-Captain stepped up to him and whispered in his ear.

* * *

"Ari, I found her. She's here," Hank said to Ari quietly.

Ari turned to look. Hadassah stood, looking out at the harbor through a small window. Her skin color was pale and she was wheezing hard. Ari felt as if he could have kicked himself. He should have insisted that she ride in the jeep.

"Are you all right, Hadassah?" Ari asked, resisting the urge to take her in his arms. He wanted her to look him in the eyes first before he hugged her.

"All... all...right...I suppose. He said you wished to see me, Captain," Hadassah asked between wheezes.

"Look at me, Hadassah. I said, look at me," Ari ordered gently. Hadassah turned slowly. Her blue eyes were glazed and full of pain as they widened in shock as she looked at him.

"Papa?" Hadassah asked, her eyes filling with tears as she touched his shoulder tentatively.

"Yes, Hadassah. It's me," Ari said, cupping her thin face in his hands.

"I thought you were playing a sick joke on me," Hadassah said, her tears falling onto his fingers. Ari wiped her face gently with his thumbs.

"I understand. You've been hurt. Now, come here. I have wanted to do this for ten years," Ari said, wrapping his arms around her thin shoulders and hugging her tightly.

He kissed the top of her head and noticed that she had grabbed handfuls of the back of his shirt and buried her face in his chest. "Papa, I was so angry at you. I thought you had abandoned me and Mama," Hadassah said in a small voice.

"I know, Hadassah. I know. I forgive you. You have been hurt, but you are my daughter and I have always loved you. I looked for you and your mama after the war ended," Ari said.

"After the concentration camp I was in was liberated they sent me to England to recover from typhus and the other injuries I sustained. They discovered that I was a British citizen of the Mandate of Palestine. I suppose you know about Mama and the others dying in the gas chambers?" Hadassah asked.

"Yes. I heard from the Red Cross right away when I inquired about you and your mother. They told me she had been killed, but you had disappeared all together. I held onto hope that I'd find you," Ari said, smoothing her hair gently.

The radio then crackled to life with a report. "Rain storms? In the Mediterranean?" Hadassah asked, raising her head from Ari's chest.

"It does rain here, my girl. Not like Prague or Holland, but it will rain," Ari said, picking up a clipboard.

"I didn't say I doubted it, Papa. I just have gotten used to it not raining here after being in Prague, Holland, Germany, Poland, and England," Hadassah said. Ari smiled at her as he looked at his clipboard. "Papa, do you want me to go back to the deck? I can if you want me to," Hadassah said timidly.

"No. Not with the way you're wheezing," Ari said, patting her knee gently as she sat beside him.

"I don't mind and going downstairs isn't nearly as bad as coming up them," Hadassah said, wiping her forehead with the sleeve of her faded shirt.

"Still I don't want to risk it and I don't want to let you out of my sight again," Ari said as the radio crackled to life again. This time it was someone trying to radio the Olympia.

"Attention, Olympia. Attention out there. This is Captain Caldwell speaking. Attention, Olympia, you have no chance to escape. The destroyers are moving into position," the Captain said.

Ari saw Hadassah's face turn paler than it already was as she turned and saw the destroyers. "Dear Lord in Heaven, spare all of us in the name of Yeshua the Christ," Hadassah prayed softly and crossed herself.

"It is blocking the harbor entrance. Return to dock. Have you heard me, Olympia?" Caldwell's voice asked imperiously.

Ari pressed Hadassah's head to his chest and picked up the comm. "We are bound for Palestine with an American captain and crew with a passenger manifest of 611 persons. We are bearing 200 pounds of dynamite in the engine room with fuses attached. If one British soldier steps aboard this ship, we'll blow her up," Ari said. Hadassah took a sharp intake of breath. "Have you heard me, Captain?"

"Papa, no!" Hadassah exclaimed.

"Be silent. I am bluffing," Ari commanded sternly.

"Message received," the captain said flatly and then signed off.

* * *

Hadassah pulled out of her father's arms and looked at him in shocked anger. "What would Mama say if she knew that you would kill all of us, Papa?" Hadassah asked in a splintered, broken voice.

"How dare you ask me that, Hadassah ben Canaan. You do not question me. Ever," her father said sternly.

"And because I'm not supposed to question you that gives you the right to play God with our lives?" Hadassah asked.

"Hadassah, I would never do that, I was bluffing," Ari said, cupping her face gently with his callused hands.

"I don't think you should bluff like that, Papa. I think it's cruel and disgusting," Hadassah said, laying her head against Ari's chest.

"Hadassah, I am your father and I love you. I would never harm you. Just trust me like you did once when you were small," Ari said, rubbing her thin back gently with his hand. The thing that worried him the most was that he could feel the bones in her shoulders and back. She was a walking bag of bones and she needed solid meals. She was probably over 100 pounds, but barely.

"Papa, you aren't going to mention dynamite any time soon, are you?" Hadassah asked nervously.

"If you promise not to look so nervous," Ari said with a dry tone.

"Ari, the controls aren't working," the fisherman-captain said, coming over to Hadassah and Ari.

Hadassah looked at the smoking engine. What's wrong with it, Captain?" Hadassah asked.

"We don't know. You are too young to understand," a dark-skinned, dark-haired man said, rubbing his hands on an oily rag.

"I might surprise you. I learned how to take apart batteries at Westerbork Transit Camp in Drenthe, Holland and engines at Terezin Concentration Camp at the end of the war," Hadassah said, walking to the engine.

She removed her trenchcoat and reaching out touched a lever stuck halfway up. "Can you fix it, Hadassah?" Ari asked, resting his hand on her head.

"Maybe. I kind of sabotaged engines in Terezin, Papa. This is the first time I ever fixed a machine in the hope it'll work," Hadassah said, pushing the lever with all of her strength. It was stuck, not giving an inch.

"I'm going to do some paperwork. You'll come outside when you get done?" Ari asked, kissing the side of her head.

"I guess so. This might be awhile though. It's a little harder when you don't have tools. I need to get the paneling off," Hadassah said, trying to get the paneling off with her fingers, to no avail.

"Just come out when you're done," Ari said, kissing her again before he got up to his feet and went outside.

* * *

Ari sat outside in the warm sun with the clipboard in his hands as he scrawled out a note. "Reuben, send this every 10 minutes for an answer," Ari said, handing the paper to his friend.

"Will do. I didn't know that your daughter knew how to fix machines. It's amazing that she learned that in the death camps," Reuben said, taking the note.

"I know," Ari mumbled under his breath. He had seen the tattoo briefly on her left forearm as she had stooped to examine the engine. The sleeve of her faded shirt hadn't hidden the number completely. He had seen the harsh, blue ink and the numbers 7 and 2.

Ari heard the sound of footsteps as they came up the steps. "Guten tag, this is Dr. DeVries and I am Dr. Odenheim. We elevated ourselves into a medical committee," an elderly Jewish doctor said, indicating a younger man behind him.

"Good," Ari said, shaking Dr. DeVries's hand.

"It is our opinion that the sanitary arrangements are hopelessly inadequate. Unless we build some additional toilets or bathing facilities we'll have a serious problem," Dr. Odenheim said.

"All right, Doctor. We'll try to take care of it," Ari said as Hadassah joined him on the deck. "How are the controls?" Ari asked, writing out another note.

"Still broken, Papa. I'm just taking a break. Doctor DeVries, Dr. Odenheim," Hadassah said, her breath catching between words.

"You're Karen Hansen's friend. The asthmatic one," Dr. Odenheim said as Hank came out of the cabin with the woman who had wanted Hadassah.

"Kitty!" Hadassah exclaimed, hugging the woman.

"Are you all right, Hadassah? You look pale," the woman said, touching Hadassah's face gently.

"I'm fine," Hadassah said with a brief smile.

"This is Mrs. Fremont from General Sutherland," Hank said in introduction. The woman's eyes turned steely as she looked at Ari with one arm around Hadassah's thin shoulders.

"How do you do?" Ari mumbled. "Hank, do we have enough scrap lumber on deck to make privies?"

"I guess so," Hank said.

"10 stalls. Knock some showers together too. Anything else?" Ari asked the doctors.

"Not for the present, thank you," Doctor Odenheim said as he and Dr. DeVries turned.

"This one to Haifa," Ari handed another note to Reuben. "You wanted to see me?" Ari asked Mrs. Fremont.

"Yes, Captain," Mrs. Fremont said, her voice dripping with contempt.

"Yes, Captain! His Majesty's Jewish Brigade. North Africa, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. The decorations are real. Is that what Sutherland sent you to find out?" Ari asked, his voice just as full with contempt.

"You lied to me about the girls. Karen is not at the camp. Like Hadassah she is on this ship," Mrs. Fremont said in anger. "And you forced them to come aboard."

"We don't force anybody. Tel Aviv yet?" Ari asked Reuben.

"No," Reuben said.

"Go on," Ari said to Mrs. Fremont.

"You're not even listening," Mrs. Fremont said.

"I heard every word you said! I lied to you about my daughter and her friend. What else?" Ari asked.

"I'm going to take them off this death trap," Mrs. Fremont said rather unwisely. Ari looked up sharply. The woman was standing beside Hadassah, who was breathing erratically. It was enough to infuriate him.

"Don't you tell me what you are going to do aboard this ship! You'll do exactly what I can tell you you can do," Ari said. He had talked that way to Hadassah and she seemed to accept that arrangement. Now if only this woman understood that.

"Tel Aviv beginning to send," Reuben said.

"Fine," Ari said.

"But Hadassah? You are ill, aren't you?" Mrs. Fremont asked, turning to Hadassah.

"I'm always ill, Kitty. I've been like this since 1945 when Bergin-Belsen was liberated. I can handle this," Hadassah said with a faint smile.

"You shouldn't have to, Ari said, looking at her and feeling his eyes tear up. She had been this ill for three years and the British hadn't even tried to find a cure?

"It's all right, Captain. I take the attacks as they come and if Yeshua wants me in Heaven with my mother and everyone else I lost, who am I to go against what he wants?" Hadassah asked.

Ari swallowed hard a few times before talking to Mrs. Fremont. "As soon as you have the girls how do you know they want to get off?" Ari asked. He had to keep Hadassah on the ship, but the other girl could leave if she wanted to.

"I am trying to save two Jewish children. Can't you understand that? Don't you have any respect for human life?" Mrs. Fremont asked irritably.

"Don't expect me to get hysterical over the lives of two Jewish children. And don't you get hysterical either. We're all late. We're all ten years late. Almost 2 million Jewish children were butchered like animals because nobody wanted them. Not your country or any other. Not even the children that survived. And the ones that survived are like this one; bad health and growing up before their time. Jewish flesh is cheap, lady. Cheaper than beef. It is cheaper even than herring," Ari said just as irritably as Mrs. Fremont. Hadassah had survived, but at what cost? He had remembered the little girl who had large blue eyes and a sweet smile who would climb into his lap and beg for stories and candy when her mama wasn't looking. 10 years later at 14 she was ill and looked around nervously as if she expected her own father to thrash her when he had never raised a hand to her.

"Tel Aviv," Reuben said, breaking his thoughts and handing him a paper.

"if you can find Hadassah's friend take her if she wants to go with you. But only if she wants to. Hadassah is not going with you. She is my daughter and will do as I say," Ari said, pinning Hadassah with a stern look. His daughter was going to obey him.

"You are Hadassah's father?" Mrs. Fremont asked, blinking. Apparently she hadn't heard Ari when he had said that she was his daughter a few minutes ago when she said he lied to her.

"Yes. I was her father long before she met you. She is going with me to Palestine," Ari said with a note of finality.

"Hadassah, this is your choice, Sweetheart. The Nazis forced you into the death camps. What do you want? Do you want to go to America or Palestine?" Mrs. Fremont asked, turning to Hadassah who stood next to her.

"Maybe someday I'll go see America, Kitty. But right now I don't have a choice. My father is still alive and I'm 14 years old. I have to obey him at 14 like I did at 4 years old. I hope you understand and are still willing to be my friend," Hadassah said, squeezing Mrs. Fremont's hand.

"Of course. I only meant well and you looked as if you needed help. I think I can also remove your tattoo," Mrs. Fremont said, picking up Hadassah's left arm and pulling up the sleeve.

"How? You and the doctors in England said I'd bleed to death if I tried it," Hadassah said nervously.

"I've been thinking about it since Karen asked me if I could remove it. How did the Nazis accomplish it?" Mrs. Fremont asked, brushing the numbers across Hadassah's left forearm with her fingers.

"I'm sorry, Kitty, but I'm trying to forget that it happened. It's not a memory that I want to remember. I want to forget that Prisoner Number J389-1872 ever existed," Hadassah said, rattling the number quickly off.

"You memorized the number, Hadassah?" Ari asked, finally seeing all the numbers that were like a blue stain across her arm.

"I had to, Papa. It was memorize the number or I'm dead. I hate it, but it's always there. Kitty, can you remove it?" Hadassah asked.

"I'm not sure. It's on the veins, but I might try to control the bleeding, but you could still die," Mrs Fremont said as Hadassah rolled the sleeve down, concealing the number.

"Not much of an option. You do the surgery and I could die. But if I don't do it, I am going to be hated among my own people," Hadassah said bitterly.

"I'm going to see if Karen is all right. You will let know what you decide, right?" Mrs. Fremont asked.

"Sure, but I'm coming with you. I'd like to see what Karen says about your taking her to America," Hadassah said, going to the steps.

"With the way you're wheezing?" Mrs. Fremont asked amused. Ari wondered the same thing. However way she had gotten asthma, it was a cause for concern.

"Going down steps isn't as hard as coming up them. And technically, wheezing isn't an asthma attack. You'll know when I have that," Hadassah said dryly.

"You know when it's worse than the one you're having now?" Mrs. Fremont asked, linking arms with Hadassah.

"Of course. The wheezing I feel now is nothing compared to the crippling effects of asthma," Hadassah said as the two of them walked down the steps. Ari watched Hadassah leave, feeling relieved that he had found her and concerned over her bad health. He wondered if he should make her stay with him until they landed in Haifa.

* * *

Hadassah and Kitty walked around the deck, Hadassah willing the wheezing to slow down. It was the most humiliating thing to have all these people seeing her writhe in pain because of a ridiculous tightening in her lungs.

"Kitty! Kitty! Hadassah!" Karen came through the crowd and hugged them both.

"It happened so fast I couldn't leave you a note. Hadassah then told me in the lorries that she had left her Star of David," Karen explained. "I had to go, Kitty, to find my father. When you asked me and Hadassah to go to America I didn't know. I mean- Oh, Kitty, we're going to Palestine!" Karen said excitedly.

"Karen, you and Hadassah don't know what it's like in Palestine. And the British won't let you go anyhow," Kitty said.

"They have to, Kitty. They just have to. Because we are not going back to Carolas. Not ever," Karen said adamantly.

Then let me take you to Palestine. The man in charge-" Kitty started to say.

"My father," Hadassah said quietly.

"Yes. If you want to come with me, you have his permission. Hadassah can't come, but he'll let you go," Kitty said.

"I couldn't leave now, Kitty. I don't know how to explain it to someone like you, but we all came here together and now we're trying to do something. And I must stay here, Kitty," Karen said firmly.

"General Sutherland calling the Olympia," a voice came over the loudspeakers.

"This is the Exodus. Come in General," Ari's voice came over the loudspeakers. Apparently the ship had been given a Hebrew name while Hadassah worked on the engines.

"I have received instructions from the Colonial office in Rotterdam. No attempts will be made to board the Olympia, but the harbor will remain blocked. You may return to Carolas whenever you wish. If you choose to remain in the ship provisions and medical supplies will be sent to you as a favor. Message completed," the General said.

"Not even now?" Kitty asked, turning to Karen.

"Kitty, I couldn't. It's...it's like leaving your family when things are bad," Karen said with an anguished look in her eyes.

"I know. If you and Hadassah want anything, you'll let me know?" Kitty asked, cupping both girl's faces.

"Yes. General Sutherland is your friend. Tell him to let us go to Palestine," Karen said as Kitty hugged the both of them and walked away without a word.


	5. Decisions and the Hunger Strike

Chapter 5- Decisions and the Hunger Strike

Hadassah walked up the steps, leading to the cabin where her father and his Haganah friends were. He was sitting in front of a radio, holding the communicator in his hand while he talked to his friend, Hank.

"I wonder if General Sutherland would make good on his promises of provisions and medicine," Hank mulled, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"I don't know, Hank. He's keeping us here. I don't know if we should believe his sincerity," Ari said, standing up.

"I would, Papa. I met General Sutherland last week when Kitty took me and Karen to the beach. He seemed nice enough. The only thing I couldn't stand about him was that he said that me and Karen could go with Kitty as long as we didn't go to Palestine. But, I think, he only said that because of the unrest in that area," Hadassah said, causing everyone to look at her.

"Are you sure, Hadassah?" Ari asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"He wanted to help Kitty adopt me and Karen. He offered when Kitty took us to the beach. I think he also likes books as much as I do. I saw him with "A Tale of Two Cities. Anybody who lies "A tale of Two Cities," "Oliver Twist," "A Christmas Carol," and "Great Expectations" can't be that bad," Hadassah said.

"I like Dickens too," Hank said with a smile.

"Yes, he was a good writer. I have those four books in my valise. So, Papa, what are you going to do?" Hadassah asked, pressing her hand against Ari's stomach as she changed the subject.

"I don't know, Hadassah. I don't wish to make a decision that would hurt you. You look as if you've been through enough," Ari said, smoothing her short hair gently. The Nazis had shaved her head at Auschwitz, but four years later Hadassah had decided to keep her hair short. It wasn't as much of a bother if she kept it short, but she had no idea if Ari wanted her hair short or long. He seemed that he was more relieved at finding her alive than what length she kept her hair.

"Papa, I don't want to go back to the camp. I want to go home with you. Karen didn't want to leave either. Why don't you ask the other passengers how they feel?" Hadassah suggested.

Her father hugged her hard. "You are right, my little kichel," Ari said as he left the cabin and went out to the deck.

"Wait. What does that name mean?" Hadassah asked, as she practically ran to keep up with him. Ari stopped and looked at her.

"You don't remember? I used to call you that often. It means 'cookie,' " Ari said with a smile.

"Oh. I really don't speak Hebrew and Yiddish any more, Papa. If you use those terms with me I'm not going to understand much of what you just said," Hadassah said apologetically.

"Tell you what. If I use a Hebrew word that you don't know ask me what it means and I'll translate. I think you remember more of the language than you think. You just don't know it right now," Ari said, stopping at the railing, overlooking the deck and the passengers. It looked as if there was a heated discussion among some of the men.

"They look upset, Papa," Hadassah said, standing next to her father.

"I know, Hadassah. May I have your attention for a minute? Now you all heard General Sutherland on the loudspeaker. You must now make a decision. My daughter has said that she will not go back and neither will a friend of hers. You can go back to Carolas-" Ari started to say.

"The only way to get back to Carolas is by drowning!" A rotund Jewish man with a beard interrupted. His clothes looked like Hadassah's, but not as faded. He looked as if he had a fiery temper. If he had been a death-camp Jew it was a miracle of God that he had lived.

"Or you can choose to stay aboard this ship," Ari suggested.

"Who are you making propaganda for? Them or us?" The man asked. The crowd on the deck cheered.

"I can't argue with them, Hadassah," Ari said softly.

"I know, Papa. There's a lot of anger down there. What is it do they want, I wonder?" Hadassah mused.

"Quiet. Quiet please. There's another possibility. You were picked by Haganah for this ship so that your escape to Palestine might have some meaning to the world. Now if you still want it to have some meaning, if you still want to try to finish what we began, you could go on a hunger strike," Ari said, his voice sad.

"Papa, no!" Hadassah protested loudly at the same time the Jewish man answered, "Now you're beginning to make a little sense! We shall tell to the British voice we refuse their help!" Everyone started to cheer.

"Papa, we can't! What did people like me survive for if we go on a hunger strike?" Hadassah despaired.

"I know, kichel. I'll try to talk them out of it," Ari said, hugging Hadassah tightly as the man kept talking.

"Please try, Papa," Hadassah pleaded.

"Well, we are going to Palestine or we are going to die right here!" The man yelled.

"So says the man trying to play like he's Yeshua! See how far you get trying to be the Eternal!" Hadassah screamed, silencing the shouts. A stunned silence filled the ship as they looked at her. Usually 14-year-old girls didn't try to talk like that to their elders since the book of Proverbs said to respect people who were older and wiser.

"Listen to me. If you go on a hunger strike it is very serious business. If you strike it could only end in success or death," Ari said.

"What is so unusual about a Jew dying? Is it anything to you or the young one there?" I stay right here! There is no excuse for us to go on living unless we start fighting right now!" The man yelled, looking around. "So that every Jew on the face of the Earth can start feeling like a human being again. You heard what I said! Fight! Fight!" He yelled, stirring up the crowd.

"I can't believe him! He wants to make us martyrs like the Apostle Stephen in the book of Acts that my grandfather told me about," Hadassah said, feeling tears come to her eyes.

"Everybody aboard this ship has agreed to accept Haganah discipline. I am giving a new order. We will sit down and we will maintain silence for 20 minutes. Each one of us will listen to his own heart and to his brain and then we will vote. We will now maintain silence," Ari said as everyone sat and he looked at Hadassah.

"Papa, you cannot seriously consider a hunger strike. For that man it's personal," Hadassah said, feeling as if her heart was racing.

"Hadassah, if they decide to have a hunger strike we have to do it. I know how you feel, but we will follow the vote," Ari said, cupping her face gently.

"Papa, I beg of you. Please don't do this. I barely survived starvation the first time in Bergin-Belsen. I don't think I could the second time," Hadassah said, tears falling down her cheeks.

Ari pulled her into his chest and held her tightly as she cried uncontrollably. At the end of the 20 minute silence Hadassah was spent and was sitting on the dirty planks of the ship as her father stood at the railing.

Hadassah felt a sense of despair as nearly everyone voted for hunger. Only 25 people agreed to go back to Carolas and 15, like her, was against the hunger strike, but agreed to stay on the ship if they were allowed broth cubes to dissolve in water.

* * *

Later that night Hadassah stood by Karen as some of the men threw the food overboard. It was a small measure of comfort that Ari didn't participate in throwing the food over. He stood on the other side of Hadassah and watched.

"Well, that's that," Dov said, wiping his hands on a handkerchief. He had been helping throw the food over and he looked like the cat that swallowed the canary.

"I hope you're all happy now. It's one thing to destroy your life, Dov Landau. But what about the babies? They deserve to live too. If they cry from hunger tell me again if we made the right choice," Hadassah said sharply. She felt her father touch her shoulder. A look of pride and reprimand was in his blue eyes.

"We made the right choice, little one. You're just too young to understand," the boat loudmouth said.

"Mister, I understand. I survived Auschwitz-Birkenau, Terezin, and Bergin-Belsen in the last months of the war. I saw people killed in front of me while boarding cattle cars, I contracted scabies, I saw the smoke from the gas chambers, and suffered typhus while I was starving to death. I was only ten at the time, but I understand more than you know. I lost my family in the camps or one side of them," Hadassah said, silencing everyone.

"You can't be more than 14 or 15!" A woman protested loudly in a splintered voice. Quite a few of the women looked at her with sad looks.

"She's 14. I'm her father. I know her age," Ari said in a tight, strangled voice. Hadassah looked up and saw the pain in her father's light blue eyes; pain that her prison history had caused.

"How did you survive? Hitler murdered all the children under 15 in the ovens," Dov asked.

"I lied to survive, Yeshua forgive me. Then I hid in the midden and jumped into the latrine to hide while the Nazis were picking people to go into the oven. Smelled awful, but it was better than being murdered," Hadassah said in a low voice as someone raised a flag with the Star of David on it.

"You are a Christian?" A boy of 17 or 18 came up to her. He had reddish-blond hair that was in need of a haircut and blue eyes. His left forearm also bore a Nazi identification number.

"Yes. My mother was a Christian Jew. Her father was a rabbi at a synagogue for Christian Jews in Rotterdam, Holland. I converted when I was 5 or 6," Hadassah said, going to the railing and seeing the food float away.

"I converted when I was 5 also. I was arrested on Kristallnact. You know what that is, right?" The boy asked.

"Yes. The Night of Broken Glass. A German official was murdered in Paris by a Jewish boy and the Germans retaliated. I heard my mother and father talking about it when they thought I was asleep," Hadassah said dryly as she looked at Ari.

"I'm sorry. Forgive my lapse in manners. I am Joseph ben Aaron," the boy said with his hand out. Hadassah shook his hand firmly.

"Hadassah ben Canaan. Are you named after one of the 12 sons of Israel or Joseph, stepfather of Yeshua the Christ?" Hadassah asked curiously.

"Both of them. So I guess you were named after Queen Esther since her name was also Hadassah before she changed it," Joseph said as they sat on the deck.

"Yes. My mother loved the story of Queen Esther and my grandmother's name was also Hadassah. My mother told me that when I was born she promised my father that if I had a sister that her name would be Sarah after my father's mother," Hadassah said.

"What are we going to do, Joseph? They threw the food over and are not even going to allow us to eat?" A timid girl with large doe-brown eyes asked.

"I don't know, Yehudit. We should pray," Joseph said, crossing himself and kneeling on the deck. Hadassah and the others followed suit and all of them quoted the Lord's Prayer and the 23rd Psalm from memory.

"Well, that should help," Hadassah commented, crossing herself one more time as she stood up.

"My parents used to say prayer could do anything," Joseph said.

"My grandfather and mother used to say it too. They prayed all the way to the end. Grandfather used to say that life isn't worth living if God isn't in it. Even after the Nazi ministers accused all Jews of being Christ-killers he still believed in Yeshua," Hadassah said sadly.

"I'm going to bed," Karen yawned, reminding Hadassah that Karen and her father were listening to this conversation.

"I think so too. I'm feeling kind of tired myself," Hadassah said, sitting down on the dirty deck.

"You want to sleep in the cabin upstairs?" Ari suggested.

"I'm fine. I'm used to sleeping on the floor," Hadassah said with a wan grin as she covered herself with her trenchcoat.

"You shouldn't be used to this," Ari said, stooping down and patting her knee gently.

"Don't worry, Papa. As long as this death-trap doesn't have lice and fleas, I'm good," Hadassah said dryly as she drifted off to sleep.


	6. Dr Odenheim's Concerns and Death

Chapter 6- Dr. Odenheim's Concerns and Death

Ari stood by Reuben and Hank going over paperwork. It was the day after the hunger strike started. Ari had been busy since the sun had come up and unable to check on Hadassah. He had been worried about her since she had claimed the abilty to sleep on the ground.

"So, how's Hadassah?" Reuben asked.

"I haven't seen her yet this morning. I can honestly admit I don't like the idea of making her go on this hunger strike when she hates the idea and sleeping on the floor," Ari said, lighting a cigarette.

"I'll live, Papa. I survived 2 months without food when I was ten. Me and the other Christians have been dissolving bouillion cubes in cups of water. I'm hungry now, but not so bad as at Bergin-Belsen," Hadassah said, walking to Ari.

"I do love you. I wouldn't worry if I didn't care so much. You know that, right?" Ari asked, touching her face gently.

"I know, Papa. I know," Hadassah said, burying her face in his chest.

Reuben picked up the communicator. "I have a few news bulletins and an announcement. The evacuation of 2,000 British women and children from Palestine was ordered today by the High Commissioner. The United Nations Commission on Palestine still has not submitted its report. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, who sat as a war guest in Berlin, has met in Lebanon with representatives of the Arab nations to coordinate actions against Palestinian Jews in the event Partition is granted. The United Nations Commission on Palestine has arrived and is now preparing its final recommendation for the assembly. News of the hunger strike aboard the _Exodus _received front-page news this morning throughout the world. The British embassy in Washington is already being radioed. Now Dr. Odenheim has something to say to you for the medical committee," Reuben said, handing the communicator to the elderly doctor who had come in the middle of the broadcast.

"It is very important that we save our supply of fresh water. So we must ration it. Every four hours one cup. On the other hand everybody must wash his body. Germs run rampant, therefore making it easy to contract cholera and other diseases. It is wise to conserve your energy. So now physical work will be advised. All work should be divided. So any time you should feel lightheaded or dizzy sit down and put your head between your knees. And remember, we can live a long time without food. A very long time," Dr. Odenheim said cheerfully.

"Dr. Odenheim, what about those of us who have chronic health problems, like asthma, contracted in Germany at the end of the war?" Hadassah asked, echoing Ari's concerns.

"I have been thinking about that. Were you in a transit camp before they sent you to Germany?" Dr. Odenheim asked.

"Yes. What does that have to do with anything?" Hadassah asked. Ari tapped her shoulder lightly.

"What did you do in the camp?" Dr. Odenheim asked.

"Broke apart batteries that didn't work anymore. Why?" Hadassah asked, moping her sweaty forehead with a faded sleeve.

"I think those batteries had a chemical in it. When you touched it or breathed it in it caused an allergic reaction that turned into asthma," Dr. Odenheim explained. (**A/N: Now I don't know if that was accurate. I just made that up for this story, but I know that the chemicals in the batteries in the transit camps did cause eye problems. So it's an interesting stretch to assume that a chemical could cause health problems later.)**

"Do you think the Nazis knew?" Hadassah asked.

"Yes. I have run into a lot of Jews who have chronic breathing problems. You all have something in common; the chemicals the Nazis exposed you to," Dr. Odenheim said.

Hadassah looked at Ari. He could see the fear in her eyes and it was enough for his father's heart to be concerned. "Will I be all right? I won't die, will I?" Hadassah asked.

"That all depends. Going to a dry climate like Palestine is the best thing for you right now. Your lungs are very weak. Running around all over creation, this ship, and stairs can't be good for you. Sit down and try not to let anything upset you. Ari, call me if her asthma gets worse," Dr. Odenheim said as he left.

"I will. Now, Hadassah, sit down," Ari ordered gently.

"Sounds like a good idea. Cyprus is almost too hot for me and this ship is a little too closed in for me to breathe. I don't know if I prefer extreme cold or extreme heat, Papa," Hadassah said with a slight wheeze as she sat down next to Reuben.

"You'll get used to the heat, Kichel. I just don't want you to hurt yourself after I just got you back," Ari said, picking up a clipboard.

"Ari, do you want me to read any of the notices as they come in?" Reuben asked, changing the subject.

"Yes. Right now isn't the time to hide anything from anyone," Ari said, sounding distracted as he read the clipboard.

* * *

Reuben followed Ari's orders exactly as given. A week later the strike was still on. Hadassah and the Christians onboard drank broth and prayed for it to end. Besides a few dizzy spells almost everyone was doing just fine. Apparently Dr. Odenheim had been correct about being able to live without food. Of course Hadassah still had a few bouts of asthma, but Ari had sat with her, holding her in his arms as her breathing slowed.

She had just had another attack and it passed, quickly. "Are you okay?" Ari asked as soon as it was over. He stroked her sweat-soaked hair gently.

"I'm fine now, Papa. It just hurts to breathe," Hadassah said, her voice scratchy as she wiped her sweat-covered face. Ari helped her stand up and hugged her to his chest.

"Just breathe slowly. I can't wait to get you to Palestine. A few of your grandmother's meals should help with the health problems," Ari said, rubbing her back gently. Ari could feel her bones when he hugged her. This was one reason why he hated the hunger strike. Young girls, like his daughter, were too young and too thin to be going without meals; even if she was drinking down cups of watered bouillion soup. Dr. Odenheim came into the cabin just then before Hadassaj could say anything.

"Do you have time for me, Ari?" Dr. Odenheim asked cordially with a smile.

"Always time, Dr. Odenheim. What can I do?" Ari asked brusquely.

"We made a mistake. A bad mistake in letting the children be a part of this. A child's body grows every hour. They need food more than us. Their blood requires more sugar. I'm watching young, ones, like your Hadassah, getting weaker every day. And Hadassah's medical problems are an issue with her not having enough vitamins and minerals to sustain her. Her next asthma attack might kill her if she doesn't eat or get medicine into her system," Dr. Odenheim said with tears in his eyes.

"What should we do about it?" Ari asked.

"When a mistake is made you make it, analyze it, and you correct it," Dr. Odenheim said with a smile and then grimaced.

"Doctor, don't you feel well?" Ari asked.

"Who cares if an old man feels well?" Odenheim asked and walked away slowly.

"He really is ill, Papa," Hadassah said in a thin voice as she stood with a wheeze.

"How can you tell?" Reuben wanted to know.

"I have seen too much illness and death. You notice the signs after awhile," Hadassah explained with a bitter smile.

"I think you are right, Kichel, though I wish you weren't," Ari said, brushing her forehead gently with his lips.

"I wish I was wrong too, Papa. What are you going to do about me and the rest of the children onboard? The bouillion cubes are running low also. Joseph and Yehudit asked me if I'd talk to you about it," Hadassah said.

Ari looked at her. Do you want to go back to Carolas?" Ari asked, running his fingers down the side of her face.

"No, but I don't wish to repeat Bergin-Belsen's idea of starving to death either," Hadassah said plainly.

"I don't like the idea of it, either," Ari admitted.

"Well, at least none of us has contracted typhus. I never want to be sick with that again. I was so weak! All I could do was just lay there and cough," Hadassah said, burying her face in Ari's chest.

It was a good thing that Hadassah couldn't see her father's face. The pain he felt at what she had to have suffered as a prisoner of the Nazis was terrible. He felt his heart clench as he held Hadassah tightly in his arms. He had heard her talk about her experiences in the death camps with other survivors. She had said only bits and pieces of what had happened after she arrived at Auschwitz and Bergin-Belsen in the fall and winter of 1944 and 1945. Ari had no idea of the Terezin Concentration Camp. When one of the survivors mentioned it Hadassah didn't join in the conversation and went somewhere else. After hearing about the other two camps he didn't want to know about Terezin.

* * *

Hadassah walked on the deck. Ari had given her permission to see her friends Karen and the other Christian Jews. Also the other 610 Jews on board _The Exodus_ had treated her with a form of respect since they had found out that she was Ari be Canaan's daughter. Women would say hello and ask how her day was and the men would doff their caps at her.

"Hadassah!" Karen squealed, running to her with a baby in her arms.

"Are you all right, Karen?" Hadassah asked, taking the baby in her arms. He looked about the same age as her cousin Daniel the last time she had seen him. Daniel's parents had gone into hiding with Hadassah, her granparents, and her mother, but had sent Daniel to America before the Nazis had invaded Holland. Little did anyone dream that Daniel wouldn't be reunited with his mother or father or that his mother and father wouldn't survive the war. Daniel would have been 8 year's old this year.

"Of course. Are you all right? Dr. Odenheim said you had an asthma attack when he went up to talk with your father," Karen said as the baby grabbed Hadassah's ear tightly.

"I'm fine. Asthma attacks pass quickly," Hadassah said. Her sharp blue eyes then noticed a crowd gathered at the other end of the deck. Hadassah handed the baby to Karen and ran to the crowd. "What happened?" Hadassah asked Joseph who stood with a sad look on his face and made the sign of the cross.

"It's Dr. Odenheim," Joseph whispered softly. Hadassah nearly collapsed. Dr. Odenheim had either gone peaceably in his sleep or collapsed, but he was dead and Dr. DeVries was looking at the side of the chest where the heart was.

Ari's friend, Hank, came through the crowd. Dr. DeVries closed Odenheim's shirt and stood up. He shook his head sadly at Hank. "All right. You two help me," Hank said to two strong-looking men. "Let us through, please," Hank ordered and the crowd parted like Moses and the Red Sea.

"I wonder why Dr. Odenheim? He was such a good man. He didn't care that 16 of us were Christians," Joseph said, his blue eyes glassy with unshed tears.

"I know. Karen, I'll be back in a minute. I'm going to go with Dr. DeVries when he tells Papa," Hadassah said, going up the stairs to the captain's cabin.


	7. Kitty's Gift and Her Decision

Chapter 7- Kitty's Gift and Her Decision

Ari looked up as the younger doctor and Hadassah entered the cabin. Judging from the looks on their faces it was not happy news.

"It gives me great pain to inform you that Dr. Odenheim has suffered a fatal heart attack. He is dead," Dr. DeVries said brusquely before walking away.

Ari looked at Hadassah. Her blue eyes were watery and Hadassah's hand was pressed to her mouth as if she were making herself not cry in front of him.

"Shall I send it out?" Reuben asked as Ari pulled Hadassah into his arms and lowered his face into her hair in grief.

Ari looked up. "Why not? Professor Dr. Samuel Odenheim, head of the First Clinic of Internal Medicine at the University of Vienna, author of many medical textbooks, died today in the harbor of Cyprus. On board a cramped freighter going nowhere because there wasn't any room for them on this earth," Ari said bitterly, playing with a strand of his daughter's chin-length hair. He hoped her hair grew out soon. Girls shouldn't have hair almost the same length as their fathers.

"No room at the inn," Hadassah muttered under her breath softly. Ari had heard the Nativity Story from Lotje the first Christmas they had been married. She had insisted they celebrate Christmas with Chanukah and she had told him the story of Mary, Joseph, and the Christ Child, but he had no idea that it could be applied in this situation until he had heard it first from his daughter.

Ari went to the loudspeaker. "Attention, attention, please! Prepare all children under the age of 13 to return to Carolas! This is an order," Ari said in a flat voice.

"Papa, maybe you are doing the right thing. Why should the babies and small children starve to death?" Hadassah asked.

"Dr. Odenheim was right. I have forgotten about children's appetites. You were a finicky eater, but right before I left Prague, you developed an appetite," Ari said with a faint smile. Hadassah smiled back just as faintly.

"I don't have that kind of appetite anymore. Going into hiding the food was terrible. I still shiver at the thought. It was also bad in the camps with little or no food. In England the food had no taste. And the worst thing was what they gave me when I recovered; bangers and mash," Hadassah made a face.

"Bangers and mash?" Hank asked, walking into the cabin.

"Mashed potatoes and pork sausage. I tried to tell them I was Jewish and can't eat pig meat, but they forced it down my throat anyways," Hadassah said sadly.

"I think the Eternal understands that you didn't eat it on purpose," Ari said, running his fingers through her hair. Jewish children, if they were raised right, followed the kosher diet. Ari and Lotje had decided early on in their marriage that they and their children would eat kosher. So it hurt to have his daughter tell him that her eating habits had been changed against his wishes.

"That's what Opa used to say. He said God looks at the inner devotion and no matter what happens I was one of his good children," Hadassah said softly.

"Your grandfather was a wise man, Hadassah," a new voice added to the conversation. Ari and Hadassah turned.

"Kitty?" Hadassah asked, hugging Mrs. Fremont tightly.

"Are you all right? You look so pale and thin," Mrs. Fremont asked, a look of concern on her beautiful face. Ari felt then as if he could of hit himself. He had no time to think Mrs. Fremont was beautiful. He had a daughter and a shipload of people to think about right now. Besides the last woman he had ever thought as beautiful was the mother of his daughter.

"I've always looked pale and thin, Kitty. It's not that strange. Also I just had one of my asthma attacks. So, therefore, I am a little weaker," Hadassah admitted dryly.

"Well, I'm glad you're all right. I hate the idea of you on this death-trap and starving to death, all the while unable to breathe," Mrs. Fremont said forcefully.

"I'll be fine, Kitty. I was hungry before. This time though, I make the rules. A few of us who don't totally agree to this are guzzling down cups of watered broth. We're still hungry, but we actually have some substance in our stomachs," Hadassah said.

"Well, I'm glad you're all right. I do have something that belongs to you. You left it at Carolas," Mrs. Fremont said, holding an object by a slender gold chain.

Ari felt his breath catch. It was a Star of David! Or better yet the Star was the one he had ordered especially for Hadassah when she was four. Every Jewish girl Ari had ever seen had been given a Star of David when she was a small child by her father. Ari was no exception and Hadassah had kept hers all these years.

"I forgot I gave it to you. I thought I lost it at Carolas," Hadassah said, fastening the necklace around her neck.

"I meant to give it back to you when I came on board the first time. It does look beautiful. I've never seen one quite like that one; with flowers and leaves a part of the design. And I've seen a lot of them. I was in Holland and Poland before the Nazi invasion," Mrs. Fremont said.

"Really? What part of Holland?" Hadassah asked curiously.

"I entered through Rotterdam and went on to Delft," Mrs. Fremont said.

"I lived in Rotterdam and I used to go to Delft with my grandfather when he went on business trips. He used to say he wanted me to travel. Well, I did and it was definitely an education. Sometimes, Kitty, I wish I had never left Rotterdam," Hadassah said, swiping at her eyes.

"You've seen more than a child should have to see, but look on the bright side; you're going home," Mrs. Fremont said soothingly.

"Well, they're lining up down there for their cups of water. I'd better get down there if I want any for broth," Hadassah said, changing the subject and walking down to the deck slowly. Ari watched her disappear in the crowd, get her broth, and sit down to drink slowly after praying over it.

* * *

Ari was quiet for the rest of the day and evening. He just sat in a corner, looking thoughtful and with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Kitty had told Hadassah about two Jewish mothers who had refused to send their children back to Carolas while Hadassah was getting her broth. At this point Ari looked as if he didn't know what to do.

Hadassah sat next to him, sipping her broth the next morning. Kitty had promised to bring more chicken or beef broth since no one among the Christian Jews would touch pork broth. "Papa, are you all right?" Hadassah asked, touching Ari's knee tentatively. Ari looked up at her, his love for her in his eyes.

"I'm fine. How's the broth?" Ari asked with a faint smile.

"All right I suppose. Personally, all of us are getting a little tired of the taste. I saw Yehudit Feinstein make a face when she got her cup of broth a few minutes ago, but, oh well. We learn to give thanks to Yeshua for what we do have," Hadassah said, making a face as she took her last drink of broth.

"Sounds like a good thought," Ari said as Kitty came up the steps.

"Kitty?" Hadassah asked, getting to her feet and hugging her friend.

"Hadassah, I brought the broth cubes," Kitty said.

"That's good. I think all of us used our last beef cubes today," Hadassah said, pushing a sweaty strand of hair out of her face.

"Mr. ben Canaan," Kitty said to Ari, who looked amused.

"You know, you're an interesting woman, Mrs. Fremont. Sutherland won't let one member of the press come on board and you shuttle back and forth like a carrier pigeon," Ari said.

"I like your daughter and Karen, believe it or not. I know you suspect me and I know nothing I say can make you trust me. But I wanted to tell you that General Sutherland has left for London. He understands your situation and he is trying to help," Kitty said with a smile.

"Thanks. Is that all?" Ari asked, looking out at the deck.

"I've heard of Dr. Odenheim's death. I'm a trained nurse and I've worked from Carolas. If I can be useful, I'll be glad to stay aboard," Kitty said.

"Without food?" Ari asked.

A smile crossed Kitty's lips. "I think I can go without food as long as you. Or I can drink broth with Hadassah and her Christian friends," Kitty said dryly.

Ari smiled before answering. "I am glad to have you on board, Mrs. Fremont," Ari said.

"Glad to be aboard, Mr. ben Canaan," Kitty said cordially.

"Come on, Kitty. I'll take you to Karen and Dr. DeVries. They can show you what to do. I also need to tell Joseph we have the broth now," Hadassah said as they walked down the steps.

"Joseph?" Kitty asked.

"Joseph ben Aaron, the leader of the Christians on board. He's 18 and was in Auschwitz like me. He lost his whole family as well," Hadassah explained as they walked through the crowd and over luggage.

"Well, I hope it's all right," Kitty said, meaning the broth.

"I'm sure it is. As long as there is no pork broth it should be fine," Hadassah said.

"So, it is true that Jews don't eat pork?" Kitty asked.

"Yes. It's considered unclean by our dietary laws. There are a few Jews that don't exactly follow the dietary laws, but I have always tried to. Everything that has a split hoof and chews the cud is all right. The pig does have a split hoof, but does not chew the cud. It is unclean, as is shellfish and rabbit. Our diets are referred to as the Kashrut. There is no exceptions if you decide to eat only Kashrut," Hadassah said as they stopped and Karen welcomed Kitty joyfully.

* * *

Ari stepped onto the dark deck later that night, lighting a cigarette. Hadassah had stayed on the deck with Mrs. Fremont and her friends after she had taken the woman to meet Karen.

Ari was beginning to wonder if he had made a mistake in allowing Mrs. Fremont inboard. The woman seemed a little too good to be true. Surely she was only concerned about Karen and Hadassah because both had come out of the Nazi nightmare and Hadassah did look more than a little pathetic with her tattoo, worn clothes, and asthma.

Ari hadn't meant what he said about not getting hysterical over Jewish children and that it was too late to do anything. Hadassah's first asthma attack had nearly caused him to go into hysterics. All he could do was hold her in his arms as she wheezed violently and grabbed handfuls of his beige soldier's shirt.

Ari felt himself smile as he found his daughter. She had fallen asleep sitting up. One arm holding a boy of five and the other arm holding a girl of five. Both were as asleep as Hadassah. "My daughter thinks the world of your daughter," a wiry red-haired man with spectacles came up to Ari.

"I'd rather she didn't sleep out here with her health the way it is, but in some ways I don't know how to deal with a daughter," Ari admitted, taking a deep drag on his cigarette.

"I have five daughters, my friend. Two are already married and living in Palestine. My three youngest are with me. At times I feel completely outnumbered by daughters. Is Hadassah your only daughter?" The man asked.

"Yes. I wanted more, but my wife couldn't have any more after Hadassah was born," Ari said.

"I see then why you are so protective of her. Dr. Odenheim said she suffered from asthma. My second-born had that, but she outgrew it," the man said conversationally.

"I only just recently found out about the asthma. I'm hoping the drier climate and the doctors at Hadassah Hospital might have some medicine she could try." Ari said, gently touching Hadassah's knee.

Hadassah groaned softly and opened her eyes slowly. "Papa?" Hadassah asked, blinking.

"Go back to sleep, Hadassah," Ari said with a smile.

"Okay. Papa, I love you," Hadassah said sleepily.

"I love you too, Kichel," Ari whispered, smoothing her face and hair with his hand. Ari remembered when her face was so small it fit into the palm of his hand. It was painful that he hadn't seen her grow up, but now he refused to miss the rest of her life.

Ari wondered if he should stay on the deck, but Hadassah looked all right and she acted, half the time, as if she didn't always appreciate his protective streak. But it was hard to forget that she wasn't his four-year-old any more. It was difficult not to treat her as four instead of the fourteen she was. He brushed her forehead gently with his lips and walked away.


	8. The Strike Ends and the Arrival

Chapter 8- The Strike Ends and the Arrival

Hadassah woke up, rubbing her eyes sleepily. Shimon and Tikvah had begged for a story the night before about Yeshua and Hadassah just couldn't say no.

"The sound of Captain Caldwell's aide's voice came over the intercom just then. Hadassah hoped this was the announcement they were all waiting for. Hadassah made the sign of the cross and noticed that Joseph and the other Christians did the same thing.

Hadassah also found herself saying over and over again the Lord's Prayer and hoping Heaven heard the prayers offered at this moment. "This is Captain Caldwell," a voice said over the intercom.

"This is the _Exodus," _Ari's voice came over, steady and firm.

"Stand by for Captain Caldwell," the voice said. The intercom must have been passed as they heard Caldwell's voice.

"General Sutherland at his own request has been relieved of his duties on Cyprus. I have just received a message from the Colonial Office in Rotterdam. I quote, his Majesty's government, having no desire to witness needless suffering, grants permission for the _Olympia_ to sail to Palestine and to disembark its passengers at the port of Haifa. That is all," Captain Caldwell said dismally as everyone cheered aboard the _Exodus._

Hadassah hugged Karen, Kitty, and her Christian friends, wondering if her father would come down and join the celebration. She saw him come down the steps and some of the men hoist him into the air on their shoulders. He was smiling and laughing as others pumped his hand, hard.

"Papa! Papa!" Hadassah screamed over the cheers.

Ari looked in her direction as the men put him down. He all but ran to her as men and women clapped him on the shoulder. He gathered her into his strong arms and kissed her gently. "Hadassah, we're leaving," Ari said as Hadassah cried and hugged him back, wrapping her slender arms around his hard muscular shoulders.

"Thank God! It was a stretch of faith. Even for me," Hadassah said, burying her face in Ari's chest.

"Mrs. Fremont, you do not have to stay here any longer," Ari said. Hadassah turned to look at Kitty. Karen stood next to her, a happy, jubilant look on her face.

"I would rather stay onboard with Karen and Hadassah. That is, if the two of them don't mind," Kitty said said with a kind smile.

"I'd like her to come with us. She promised to help me find my father," Karen spoke up.

"I'd like her here to, Papa. She said she'd help me with getting my Nazi identification number removed. I want it removed," Hadassah said, taking Kitty's hand and squeezing her fingers.

"I guess that's that, Mr. ben Canaan. I'm not about to go against two stubborn 14-year-olds," Kitty quipped with a grin.

"I suppose it is if my daughter wants you here," Ari conceded.

"I hate to say this, but can we accept food now?" Hadassah asked, looking up at her father. Everyone on the deck laughed joyously as Ari kissed her forehead.

"If any food comes onboard, we'll take it. Can you wait until then, Kichel?" Ari asked, cupping her face gently.

"I think so. I can drink another cup of broth while we wait. Even though I feel like if I see another cup of broth I'm going to be sick!" Hadassah said, making a face.

"Ari, it's Mandria!" Reuben shouted. Ari ran to the railing, followed by the 600 people onboard. A man was standing in a car, followed by a marching band and cheering crowds. The cheers from _The Exodus _matched that of the crowd on the dock. The man got down from his car and cheered _The Exodus _as it sailed past.

* * *

After the ship was filled to nearly sinking with food, the ship sailed without a hitch to Haifa. Hadassah either was with her father or Karen and Kitty for all of the five days that they sailed.

They arrived in Haifa, Palestine in record time on a warm, sunny day. Ari was getting some papers together since he and the rest of the Haganah- with the exception of Hank- were leaving the ship before the ship docked. Ari looked up at Hadassah. "Kichel, you can't come with me to Jerusalem this time. Go to the Gan Dafna Kibbutz. Your aunt Jordana runs it. Stay there until I come for you," Ari said, touching her face with his fingers.

"How do I get there?" Hadassah asked.

"There will be a bus with the name in English and Hebrew. Get on it. I will come for you, my little Hadassah. Just tell Jordana who you are and she and your grandparents will take care of you until I arrive. Now, kiss me goodbye and I'll see you soon," Ari ordered gently. Hadassah threw her slender arms around him tightly and kissed his cheek. Ari kissed her forehead gently. Hadassah had been able to accept his orders without much complaint. She hadn't kicked up a fuss because he was leaving her for just a day or two. She had obeyed him with the expectation that he would come for her like he had promised. She would wait at the kibbutz or at his father's farm like he wanted her to and Ari wouldn't have to worry about her. This time he would know where she was and that she was safe.

He just hoped his business wouldn't take him that long in Jerusalem. He wanted to hurry and get to the Valley of Jezreel so he could see his parents and sister, and collect his daughter. Then the past 10 years could be made up between him and Hadassah.

* * *

Hadassah walked down the gangplank, keeping a tight hold on her suitcase and valise full of books. Ari had disembarked already and Hadassah could see the row of buses leading to shelters for the new arrivals her father had said would be there. Hadassah then saw Kitty, looking around in confusion, before going to Hank.

"Well, happy landing, Mrs. Fremont. You'll find your luggage at customs," Hank said in a jovial tone.

"Thank you. Have you seen Mr. ben Canaan? I've seen his daughter, but not him. I wanted to thank him for allowing me to come onboard the ship," Kitty said, looking around the dock.

"He and the other Haganah guys went to the base in Jerusalem two hours ago. He told me that Hadassah was going to the kibbutz run by his sister so she could wait for him and be safe. I think that's a good idea since he just got her back and doesn't wish to lose her like he did her mother. There were just too many British soldiers here for him to stay," Hank said, tipping his cap.

"Thank you. Hadassah!" Kitty ran to her and hugged her tightly.

"Hello, Kitty. I suppose you're going to stay here in Palestine for awhile?" Hadassah asked.

"I promised Karen I'd help her look for her father and I'll look into the surgery for your arm," Kitty said with a smile.

"That sounds great. Look! There's Karen!" Hadassah ran to her friend, Kitty following.

"Karen?" Kitty asked, touching Karen's elbow.

"Have either of you seen Dov?" Karen asked, a worried look in her eyes.

"No. Not since he left the ship," Kitty said, looking around as Hadassah shook her head no.

"But can he find Gan Dafna?" Karen asked.

"He'll show up. Look, I'm going to the American Consulate and then to the Jewish Agency. As soon as I find anything I'll come to Gan Dafna to see you and Hadassah," Kitty said, cupping both girls' faces.

"That's enough. Time to board now," a woman with a crisp British accent said.

"Good-bye Karen. Good-bye, Hadassah," Kitty said, kissing each girl's cheek.

"If you see Dov tell him where I am," Karen said, walking with Hadassah onto the bus. They managed to find seats on the rapidly filling bus.

"Well, here we go. I just hope Papa can find me there," Hadassah said, worrying her lower lip.

"I think Mr. ben Canaan will have no problems finding you. He found you at Carolas," Yehudit offered, her brown eyes sparkling happily.

"Purely by accident though," Hadassah said as the bus choked and wheezed to life. It sounded like her when her asthma caused problems and the bus lurched forward with a groan. Hadassah hoped they made it to the kibbutz before the bus broke down on the road. Hadassah had no desire to sleep on the road in a country she didn't even know.

* * *

By the time they reached the Valley of Jezreel Hadassah was more than ready to get off the bus. Her chest was starting to painfully tighten and she was getting short of breath. This time Ari wasn't there to hold her if she had an asthma attack. And by the way she was starting to wheeze, it wasn't that far in coming.

"Hadassah, look out the window! It's beautiful!" Yehudit gushed excitedly, oblivious to the pained look on Hadassah's face as her wheezing got louder. Everyone on the bus looked at her, making it even more embarrassing.

"I think she has more to think about than scenery right now, Yehudit," a boy said, a look of concern in his green eyes as he looked at Hadassah.

"I'll...I'll...be fine. I...just need...to catch my...breath," Hadassah said, gripping the back of the seat in front of her in a death grip and catching the attention of the bus driver.

"Young one, do we need to stop so you can get some air?" The driver asked, putting the bus in park.

"No. I'm fine now. My father told me to go to Gan Dafna. I don't think he meant for me to stop in the middle of the road to get air," Hadassah said weakly as her breathing slowed.

"But I'm sure he doesn't want you dead either. Who's your father?" The driver asked.

"Ari ben Canaan," Hadassah said, wiping her sweaty forehead with the sleeve of her blouse. The woman's eyes widened in shock.

"Ari is your father? I know your whole family! Just relax. I'll try to get you to the kibbutz and Dr. Lieberman as fast as I can," the driver said as she went back to the steering wheel and drove at breakneck speed to the kibbutz.


	9. Speeches and First Night

Chapter 9- Speeches and First Night

The bus came up a dirt road to a compound. It looked as if an orchestra was playing them down the road and a bunch of kids were running around outside to greet them.

Hadassah's breathing had slowed considerably. Everyone had rolled the bus's windows down and a warm breeze, and shouts, came in as the kids ran alongside the bus.

"The bus came to a stop and Hadassah, Yehudit, and Karen looked around. "What do we do now, Hadassah?" Yehudit ventured timidly as all three girls watched as their luggage was lowered to the ground.

"I don't know. Papa told me to find Aunt Jordana and my grandparents. I don't even know what they look like," Hadassah said as a girl came up to them. By the looks of her she looked Egyptian or close to it.

"What are your names?" The girl asked eagerly.

"I'm Karen and these are my friends, Hadassah and Yehudit. What's yours?" Karen asked.

"I'm Edna. Come. We go up and see something," Edna said, leading them to what looked like a podium behind the orchestra. Two women and three men were sitting on chairs under a covering. They came to the podium as children cheered and clapped.

One of the men removed his hat, quieting the crowd. "Now, Children, please resume a little order. And I'll introduce a man who has done more than anyone for the village of Gan Dafna. Who but 10 days ago he was in London negotiating with the British. Today he is home again. I have the honor to present Mr. Barak ben Canaan, member of the Executive committee of the Jewish Agency of Palestine. Barak ben Canaan," the man indicated one of the two other men.

Hadassah's breath caught as she sat on the front row and saw her grandfather for the first time in her life. She was willing to bet that the other two women were her grandmother and aunt. Her grandfather stood, a kind smile on his face. He looked like her father, except he had a mustache and his hair was silver instead of dark blond.

"My dear young friends, I know you are very tired. You've had a long trip so I am not going to make speeches," Barak said. He waited as a young girl finished handing out cups of wine. "It's good to have parties like this. It's also good to know what you're here for. You're here to learn. You're here to work. You're here to build a Jewish homeland in Palestine. It says on the banner 'Young heros.' Very fine. But here at Gan Dafna you'll find that even the biggest hero must work in the fields just like the littlest cow. Boys and girls, when I came to Palestine 47 years ago, it was not a musical reception with little cakes served. I came walking with my little brother all the way from Russia. Know in that valley the swamps and mosquitoes so big they were picking fights with the sparrow," Barak said, getting a laugh out of the children. "Now we change these swamps into such fields. And the quiet nights you can hear the corn grow. Oranges so big 5 can make a dozen," Barak exaggerated, getting another laugh. "Over there you see the Arab village of Abu Yesha. In those days my old friend Hamal, may God rest his soul, was Muhktar of the village. Then one day he donated this ground to us on which you stand as a youth village. So we began to build this place and, again, it wasn't a matter of little cakes and music. It meant more sweat. More work. Look about you. You will see Arab children here. Three of them grandsons of that same Hamal, the Muhktar that gave us this land. It grieves me that he isn't here today to see this. But he has been gathered to the bosom of God. Speak always that name with respect. So we have the son of Hamal, Taha. An honor to his father's memory," everyone clapped politely. "He was raised part time in my house with my own dear son, Ari, and my dear daughter, Jordana, who sits beside him in this place. Now I want you to give particular attention to what he is going to tell you. Here is Taha, son of Hamal, since five years, Muhktar of Abu Yesha," Everyone clapped as a dark-skinned, dark-haired man with a head covering and a pointed beard stood.

"He's cute," Karen whispered to Hadassah.

"He must have a good heart if he was raised with Papa and Aunt Jordana," Hadassah said, taking a small cake and a glass of wine. She wouldn't drink but one sip. The rest she would pour out when no one was looking since she had never liked the taste of wine at Chanukah or Passover Seders when she was small. She hoped her grandfather and Ari didn't force the wine on her when she ate with them.

"Thank you, Barak ben Canaan and Dr. Lieberman. In this Valley of Jezreel we grow together as friends. It is natural that we should live in peace since even our words are almost exactly the same. We say 'salaam' and you 'shalom.' Let us seal our friendship forever with that most beautiful of Hebrew toasts; Le Chaim. To life," Taha said, raising his glass of what appeared to be milk.

"Le Chaim!" The doctor toasted.

"Le Chaim!" The children shouted as they all took a drink of their glasses. Hadassah made a face as the red liquid burned down her throat and chest. If Yeshua the Christ was here she would ask Him to make the wine back into water again. She looked up at Heaven guiltily. Her thought might be considered blasphemy and she quickly asked for forgiveness.

"All right, boys and girls we need your names so we can know where to put you," Jordana said.

"Then you need to take a bath and get some new clothes," Dr. Lieberman said as he handed Jordana a clipboard and they went down the line of the 20 people who had arrived. All too soon she reached Hadassah.

Everyone looked at her as she swallowed hard. She looked at her grandparents briefly. She had no idea if they had known that their granddaughter had been on _The Exodus_ or not. She hadn't bothered to ask Ari before disembarking. Now she wished she had. "Hadassah ben Canaan," she said in a voice that she didn't think sounded like hers.

After what felt like a long minute her grandmother stood up and a sharp cry came out of her mouth as she ran to Hadassah and scooped her up into her strong muscular arms. It felt as comforting as Ari's arms around her that first day on the ship as her granparents and aunt hugged her.

"Oh, Barak, she looks like Ari! Her eyes are our Ari's!" Her grandmother exclaimed, her eyes watering as she looked into Hadassah's dark blue eyes and she smoothed Hadassah's face gently with her calloused hands.

"Yes. She looks much like our son. Do you know who we are, girl?" Barak asked gruffly, his blue eyes conveying the happiness that his voice wasn't at seeing her. Much like her father, and murdered uncle and grandfather, her grandfather ben Canaan was one who expected answers and would brook no dishonesty or disrespect.

"Yes Sir. Papa told me to come here and you and Aunt Jordana would take care of me," Hadassah said. Barak was stern. Not at all like Opa, who took her side in all arguments that she had with her mother and grandmother.

"Well, Ari was right on that score, Barak ben Canaan. I'd let my own children stay in your house," Taha said, smiling at Hadassah. Hadassah smiled back. So far she liked her father's friend.

"Well, I suppose if Ari found you he expects you to be with us when he comes," her grandfather said with a smile.

"More or less. He told me to stay with you while he mentioned visiting the Haganah and someone named Akila or Akiva," Hadassah said. Her grandfather's eyes hardened considerably. He either didn't approve of the Haganah or the man Akila or Akiva.

He stalked off angrily. "Did I say something wrong?" Hadassah asked her aunt and grandmother.

"Akiva is your grandfather's brother. Your grandfather has disowned him for his violent ways. He is an anathema to him," Taha volunteered the information.

"I am sorry. I didn't know," Hadassah said in a small voice. Her grandmother hugged her tightly again.

"It's all right, Hadassah. Papa doesn't blame you because you didn't know. Just don't bring it up again. Let your father talk to your grandfather about Uncle Akiva. Let's go eat. You look as if you could use a few meals," Jordana said as they followed the crowd to a picnic table laden with food.

* * *

Ari stepped off the bus in Jerusalem. He felt tired. He wished that he could have just skipped reporting into the Jewish Agency or the meeting with Akiva and went to Gan Dafna with Hadassah. The biggest consolation was that she would wait for him and that he knew where she was this time.

After meeting with the Agency, Ari telephoned one of the men he knew was with Akiva and the Irgun. He stepped into the King David Hotel and sat at a desk next to the man he was scheduled to meet. This man he was meeting worked with the Jewish Agency, but also had his fingers in the Irgun or the Maccabees, the two terrorist groups currently operating in Palestine; one of which Akiva was the leader.

The contact sat with a folder and looked up as Ari sat down. "Benyamin said you wanted me?" The contact asked, mentioning the man Ari got off of the phone with and flipping the pages in the folder.

"Yes," Ari said simply.

"So?" The contact asked amused.

"I've got to see Akiva. Where is he" Ari asked.

The contact gave a bare smile. "We tell Haganah where our leaders are hiding?" The contact asked as if Ari was the stupidest person in the world.

"Forget Haganah. Akiva's my uncle," Ari said, smoking his cigarette.

"And Barak ben Canaan is your father and we trust him as we trust the grand Mufti. His son is different?" The contact asked skeptically.

"Just tell Akiva and let him decide," Ari said impatiently.

"I don't even know if he's in Jerusalem," the contact said, finally giving in.

"So tell him anyway," Ari said with a brief smile.

The contact smiled. "If I can find him where do I telephone you this evening?" The contact asked.

"I'll be on the terrace at the King David at 7 o'clock," Ari said, standing up and extinguishing his cigarette, and walking away. He hoped Akiva didn't take too long. Ari wanted to be with his daughter. He and Hadassah had already spent too many years apart.

* * *

Hadassah looked around the room at her grandparents farm as her grandmother towel-dried her short hair. Her grandmother had insisted that she live with them on the farm, instead of Gan Dafna, until Ari came for her.

The first order of business had been a long nap, followed by a bath and dinner as soon as her hair was dry. Hadassah was wearing a simple cotton nightgown that had belonged to Jordana since Hadassah didn't have one among her clothes. Hadassah had told her grandmother that she slept in whatever she was wearing that day, but Sarah ben Canaan hadn't appeared too happy at that.

A sharp rap sounded at the door. "Who is it?" Sarah called, picking up a bone comb and running it through Hadassah's damp hair.

"Only me. I brought the tray of food," Barak's voice came through the door.

"All right. Come in. You can eat breakfast with us tomorrow, Hadassah," Sarah said with a warm smile as Barak entered the room with a heavily-laden tray; all kashrut foods. Hadassah felt slightly dizzy looking at all the food. She hadn't seen that much food since before the Germans invaded Holland when she was seven.

"It smells good," Hadassah said, trying to ignore the glass of wine on her tray. She was old enough to drink by Jewish standards since she had received her first glass of watered wine when she was 9 years old for Passover and her grandfather declared she was old enough. But she didn't quite know how to explain it to her other grandparents that she didn't like to drink and didn't like the taste of wine. Hadassah picked up her cup and drank it slowly, wishing she could explain the complications and confusion she felt.


	10. Dinner Dates and Meeting the Opposition

Chapter 10- Dinner Dates and Meeting the Opposition

Ari finished his water while he waited for the waiter to come with a menu or news to arrive from Akiva. The food at the King David Hotel was rich, but good. Ari was planning to bring Hadassah here at one point when he saw Mrs. Fremont walk past his table.

He put the wine list down and got up to follow her to her table. "Do you like the view here?" Ari asked. Mrs. Fremont looked up from her menu, pasting a friendly smile on her face.

"Mr. ben Canaan!" Mrs. Fremont said with mild surprise.

"Are we both eating alone?" Ari asked.

"I am Or I was. Won't you sit down?" Mrs. Fremont invited.

"Thanks. I know all the good things on that menu. May I order for you?" Ari asked as he sat down and put his linen napkin on his lap. Mrs. Fremont handed him the menu. Would you like a drink?" Ari asked, summoning the waiter.

"I had one at the consulate and another when I came to my room," Mrs. Fremont said.

"Have another one," Ari said as the waiter came to the table.

"Water," Mrs. Fremont said.

"Two waters," Ari said as another waiter came to the table.

"Excuse me, Sir," he said in flawless English.

"We'll take the fried mushrooms, the soup, and the sol smothered with champagne. We'll order dessert later," Ari said, handing the menu back.

"Yes Sir," the waiter bowed and walked away. Ari turned his attention back to Mrs. Fremont. She wasn't Lotje, but she had a good heart and now that he wasn't worried over 611 Jews- his daughter among them- he saw how beautiful she was.

"What were you doing at the consulate today?" Ari wanted to know.

"I've asked them to help me find Karen's father," Mrs. Fremont said.

"Oh, yes. The girl. The one who's friends with my daughter. Please forget what I said about getting hysterical over the lives of two children. I didn't mean it. Especially after Hadassah had one of her asthma attacks in front of me," Ari admitted.

"I know you didn't. I saw how you were with Hadassah. I realize now that you only lied so you could keep her with you. You were right when you said that you were her father long before she ever met me," Mrs. Fremont said.

"What happens if you find out her father is dead?" Ari asked, changing the subject back to Karen.

"Then I'll take her back to America with me. If she likes it there I may adopt her," Mrs. Fremont said with a smile.

"Won't your husband have something to say about that?" Ari asked dryly.

"My husband was killed a year ago. In a border skirmish not far from Tel Aviv," Mrs Fremont said sadly.

"You mean here? In Palestine?" Ari asked.

"He was a news photographer covering the near east," Mrs. Fremont said.

Ari felt that this was a time to change the subject again. Ari didn't like talking about Lotje's being murdered by the Nazis, so he understood completely. "Well about the girl's father, if you like I can put some of our Haganah boys on it," Ari said, looking up as the British High Commissioner walked past with his wife. "The British High Commissioner to Palestine. Taken over the whole south wing of the hotel for British General Headquarters," Ari said, taking out a cigarette. He offered one to Mrs. Fremont, which she refused.

"Don't you feel uncomfortable here?" Mrs. Fremont asked.

"Oh, I guess I'm as safe here as any place else. Besides I spent 14 months in prison," Ari said as he lit his cigarette.

"Oh. I suppose that's why you didn't appear shocked when you heard everything Hadassah went through in the concentration camps," Mrs. Fremont said.

"I've had nearly three years to absorb the shock that my daughter was hurt by the Nazis and my wife was murdered. I only felt anger and shock when I saw the tattoo and heard her first asthma attack. I also don't think she's told me everything that happened in the camps. She's only told me bits and pieces of what happened at Westerbork, Auschwitz, and Bergin-Belsen. And she hasn't said anything about Terezin," Ari said sadly.

"I know she didn't. If you remember I asked her how the Nazis tattooed her and she wouldn't say anything. Her memories are still too painful. So, tell me about yourself," Mrs. Fremont said, changing the subject this time.

"I don't come from anywhere. I'm a Sabra. It's a native-born Palestinian. My father was born in Russia. His name was Yacov Rabinsky. When he came here he changed it to Barak ben Canaan. He has a farm in the Valley of Jezreel. I was hoping Hadassah would find her way there until I came for her," Ari explained. "Do you like farms?"

"I was raised on one," Mrs. Fremont replied.

"Then I'd like to show you ours. I stay there when I'm not with the Haganah," Ari said, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"Well, that will be a little difficult. I've rented a car and I'm going to Gan Dafna tomorrow to visit Karen. And knowing your daughter she'll be there too and I'll visit her as well. I need to ask her to remember for me how she got her tattoo. I just hope she doesn't get obstinately silent," Mrs. Fremont said with a smile.

"She'll tell you. I'll ask her to. She obeys me. My family's farm is not far from Gan Dafna. Just a few miles. I'm going out myself in the morning. Do I know you well enough to ask you for a lift?" Ari asked with a teasing grin.

"I think so. My name is Kitty," Kitty said, giving her first name with a laugh.

"Ari," Ari said, looking as the waiter came to their table and gave them their drinks. "Thank you. I'll teach you a Hebrew toast; L'Chaim," Ari said, raising his glass slightly. Kitty smiled.

"I know it. To life," Kitty said, raising her glass to his.

"Good for you," Ari said as they took a drink. Ari put down his glass. "A year is a long time in the life of a pretty woman. Have you found another man?" Ari asked, hoping Kitty didn't mind the questions.

"Nothing serious," Kitty said cryptically.

"Why not?" Ari asked.

"Many reasons. One of them is that my husband's work filled his whole life. I presume that's good. At least most men seem to think so. But I feel that a man who has nothing but his work is only half a man," Kitty said, surprising Ari.

"And you want a whole one?" Ari asked with a grin.

"Exactly. The other half of his life must be a woman. What else? You were married. Surely Hadassah's mother got upset if you spent too much time at work," Kitty said.

"Lotje always let me know when I did that. She always sad that Hadassah would forget what her father looked like because I spent so much time away from home. So fair point. What else?" Ari asked as the waiter came back.

"Excuse me, Sir. There's a telephone call," the waiter said. Ari put out his cigarette and stood.

"Excuse me. I'll be right back," Ari said to Kitty. He went to the lobby, wondering who would call. It wouldn't be Hadassah or his father. Whenever he told his father or mother he had business with the Haganah he never said where he was staying. It was safer for his family and himself if when his family was interrogated they could truthfully say they didn't know where he was.

* * *

Ari reached the reception desk and picked up the telephone to be stopped by the contact he had met earlier. "Come with me," he said, taking the phone out of Ari's hand.

"Now?" Ari asked. The contact nodded his head. "I have to go back to the terrace for a minute. I have to-" Ari started to say.

"You want to arrange to have us followed," the contact interrupted sarcastically with a sneer.

"Let's go," Ari said, deciding there was no point in telling the man about Ari having a dinner date. They walked out of the hotel and only a matter of three blocks.

* * *

Ari looked at the high stone wall and the guard who had climbed over it. Ari knew that meant he had to as well. Ari climbed up and over the wall, feeling every one of his 36 years.

He followed the guard into the remains of either a church or a synagogue and up the stairs to a door, that was guarded by one man.

The soldier knocked on the door. It was open by a bearded, slight man with blue eyes. Akiva ben Canaan didn't strike anyone as being a terrorist, but behind the soft-spoken man was a man with an iron will.

"Ari, come in," Akiva said, shaking his nephew's hand. Akiva shut the door and turned with a smile. He set a chair down. "Sit down. You must have some tea. There's an extra glass around here-ah!" Akiva pulled down a glass.

"You look better than ever, Uncle Akiva," Ari said. Akiva knew Ari wasn't fond of tea, but almost always Ari would take a cup to be polite. Hadassah had told Air that she didn't like tea either, so it had to be genetic.

"It's a busy life. You've been busy yourself recently. This '_Exodus_' business shows in your heart that you're really an Irgunist. 200 pounds of dynamite and even the British couldn't stop you," Akiva said proudly.

"That was a threat. I didn't have dynamite onboard. As you probably know, I found my daughter on that ship. I told her that I didn't have any and now I tell you. Hadassah thought I was being cruel," Ari said.

Akiva smiled. "In the eyes of a fourteen-year old girl that would be cruel. Now it's no accident that brings you here tonight," Akiva said, handing the glass to Ari. "Not just talk about my grand-niece."

"Of course not," Ari said, taking the glass.

"The Irgun is blowing up too many British installations. They behave rudely to our British guests so the bleeding intellectuals of the Haganah, after endless meetings and much debate, have at last reached a decision. Correct?" Akiva asked with thinly veiled amusement.

"It's close," Ari said, looking into his cup.

"They say, send Ari ben Canaan. The old criminal is getting soft in the head. If he loves the boy maybe Ari can stop his terrorist activities. Also correct?" Akiva asked, eating a piece of matzo bread.

"Also. They want something more. If the United Nations votes for Partition we'll have the whole Arab world on our backs. Our only hope is an alliance between the Irgun and Haganah," Ari said, taking a drink.

"An alliance to frighten? Of course. The minute the Haganah adopts our policy of fighting instead of talking then an alliance between us becomes automatic," Akiva said congenially.

"You're not being fair, Uncle. When it comes to fighting Haganah has lost more fighters than Irgun. We fight to defend ourselves. We capture positions that we can occupy and hold. And you attack it so you can spread terror," Ari said in barely-concealed anger.

"Your duty is done. You've given me the official line. What about you, Ari? Forget Haganah for one moment and tell me what you feel. Or is Hadassah the only one you'll talk to about this?" Akiva asked in calm amusement.

"Hadassah is the only one who seems to understand what's happening around her. She survived a death camp at ten years old. I think these bombings and these killings hurt us with the United Nations. A year ago we had the respect of the whole world. Now all they read about us is terror and violence. And young ones, like my daughter, have seen too much violence. I've looked into her eyes and she looks like a fourteen-year-old girl with 80-year-old eyes. I will not allow her to be hurt again," Ari said angrily.

"It's not the first time that it has happened. I don't know of one nation, whether existing now or in the past, that hasn't been born of violence. Terror. Violence. Death. They are the midwives who bring free nations into this world and compromises like the Haganah produce only abortions!" Akiva said with a bitter tone.

"Before you have a country you have to have people. And that's the job that we have done. Tens of thousands of people smuggled in with a whole British Navy blockading the coast. Population. The population is our most valid argument to be independent. How can we ask the United Nations for a just decision if we keep blowing up things like a bunch of anarchists?" Ari asked in frustration.

"You just used the words 'just decision.' Was it just that your passport couldn't bring your wife and daughter here when the Nazi nightmare started? That your wife was murdered by the Nazis and you had to smuggle your own daughter into Palestine? May I tell you something? Firstly, justice itself is an abstraction. Completely devoid of reality. Secondly, to speak of justice and Jews in the same breath is an illogical absurdity. Thirdly, one can argue the justice of Arab claims on Palestine as well as one can argue the Jewish claims. Fourthly, no one can say that the Jews have not had their share of injustice these past 10 years and I therefore say, fifthly, let the next injustice work against someone else for a change," Akiva said.

"You just changed the subject on me," Ari said bitterly.

"You noticed?" Akiva asked, amused.

"I suppose that means more bombings and killings," Ari said, sitting down.

"I'll put it this way. That the National Committee keep trying to talk the British out of Palestine. We have no objections. We will continue to bomb them. Now tell me, how is your mother?" Akiva asked, changing the subject.

"She's fine. Probably fattening up Hadassah right now since my daughter is way too thin. The Nazis starved her at Bergin-Belsen in the last few months of the war and she has asthma from chemicals that were in batteries at a transit camp in Holland," Ari said.

"The Nazi way of how to get rid of Jewish children. And little Jordan?" Akiva asked.

"Little Jordana just won her second marksmanship medal with a rifle. I have no doubt she'll soon teach Hadassah how to use one since Hadassah will be 15 in May," Ari said with a smile.

"And that young rascal, David ben Ami? Is she still interested?" Akiva asked with a chuckle.

"She can't wait until he gets back from Cyprus," Ari said.

Akiva lowered his head, a sad expression on his face. "And Barak? Still counts my name among the dead on Yom Kippur?" Akiva asked forlornly. Ari nodded his head soundlessly and looked down. His father's anger at Akiva needed no words. Akiva knew that as well as Ari. "10 years. It's a long time to be dead to the only family you have. Doesn't he understand that I must work for Israel in my way just as he works for it in his?" Akiva asked, his voice catching slightly.

"You can't talk to him about it. I've tried," Ari said glumly.

"Of course. It's not much of a home, is it?" Akiva asked, looking around. "It only takes the samovar to make the memory real."

"I'm sorry, Uncle," Ari said sincerely.

"It's all right, Air. Now next time you come to Jerusalem bring my grand-niece with you. We can eat at the King David. I want to see if she's anything like you," Akiva said with a smile.

"She's not really. She does what I tell her, but she's the first one to tell you if she thinks you're wrong. Her mother was that way," Ari said with a chuckle.

"Sounds as if you approve," Akiva said, clapping Ari's shoulder.

"I nearly lost her to Hitler. Who am I to argue if she didn't agree with dynamite or the hunger strike?" Ari said with a wan smile.

"I understand. Just don't spoil her, Ari. She needs limits. At the end of the day you are still her father," Akiva said. Akiva was right. As much as he didn't like disciplining her he would have to sometimes. So far she was docile and obedient and did what he said, so Ari didn't have much occasion to correct her.


	11. Breakfast and Painful Memories

C h ap ter 11- Break fast e

Hadassah woke up to sunshine in her face. It took a minute to realize where she was. She was in her grandfather ben Canaan's house and in a real bed! The first real bed since she was ten. The sun gave the room a golden hue and Hadassah changed into the clothes that her grandmother had left her. They had belonged to Aunt Jordana and were a little big, but they would work until Hadassah could find some new clothes.

Hadassah pulled down the left sleeve of her Russian-style blouse. So far Sarah and Barak hadn't seen her tattoo and she wasn't about to bare her arm so they could see it. Her father had been furious enough when he had seen it. The tightening of his jaw and the pain in his blue eyes as he ran his fingers over the numbers was enough to convince her that he was angry.

Hadassah walked down the stairs, feeling slightly winded and asthmatic. That was another thing she wasn't about to reveal to her grandparents. The bus driver hadn't been able to say anything the day before and as long as she didn't have an asthma attack in front of them the subject didn't need to be brought up. Her grandmother and grandfather were standing there.

"We were going to let you sleep, Hadassah," Barak said as Sarah hugged her tightly.

"I don't mind. I'm used to waking up early. At least this isn't a death camp. They woke us up at four every morning," Hadassah commented dryly.

"I can imagine, but you aren't a prisoner now, Hadassah. You are my Ari's child. Sleep in a little," Sarah said, stroking Hadassah's short hair.

"I'll try, Grandmother," Hadassah said as her grandmother led her to the dining room. After saying a prayer in Hebrew it was time to eat.

"So, Hadassah, you can help your grandmother with cooking and cleaning. Then afterwards you can help me with farm chores," Barak said as Hadassah ate a cheese blintz.

"Sounds all right. I can cook a little and know how to clean. But you may have to show me how to farm. I don't know how to do that," Hadassah said nervously.

"There's nothing to it. You are my son's daughter. You look like a quick learner," Barak said gruffly.

"That's true. It didn't take me long to learn how to fix watches, radios, and motors," Hadassah said, taking a sip of her tea. She tried not to make a face, even though it tasted better than the wine she had the day before.

"You can fix all those things, Hadassah?" Barak asked, amused.

"Yes. I learned radios and motors in the last year of the war and my other grandfather was a watchmaker when he wasn't a rabbi on Saturday. I sat on his workbench often before Hitler invaded Holland and he couldn't work any more. A Jewish watchmaker is an easy target," Hadassah said bitterly.

"You are safe here, Hadassah. No Nazi will ever hurt you again," Sarah said, taking her hand and squeezing it gently. It took her a second to realize that it was the arm that had the tattoo on it. She hoped the sleeve stayed down. She wasn't in any mood to explain it to anybody right now.

It was late afternoon when Ari and Kitty arrived at the farm. The sound of a dog barking got Ari's attention. Judging by Kitty's smile she heard it too. Ari stopped the car and opened the door as his father came out of the barn.

Ari helped Kitty out of her side of the car. "Ari! Ari! My boy," Barak hugged his son tightly. Ari smiled as he saw Hadassah step out of the barn, wearing Jordana's clothes and, judging from the hay in her hair, she had been doing barn chores.

"Papa, this is Mrs. Fremont," Ari introduced Kitty to his father.

"Shalom, Mr. ben Canaan," Kitty said with a smile.

"Welcome to our farm, Mrs. Fremont. I'll go tell your mother," Barak said, running to the house. "Mama! Mama!"

Ari smiled and turned to Hadassah. "Hadassah," Ari said, taking his daughter in his arms.

"Papa, I was hoping you'd be here today," Hadassah said, burying her face in his chest.

"Good prediction, Kichel," Ari said, stroking her hair gently as he kissed the top of her head. Hadassah looked up at Kitty, confusion in her dark blue eyes.

"Hello, Kitty. I thought you would visit Karen first," Hadassah said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Your father invited me. I needed to ask you some questions. Your father told me that you'd answer them," Kitty said with a smile.

"It depends on the question," Hadassah said.

"It's about your tattoo. How did you get it?" Kitty asked. Hadassah's face blanched and she closed her eyes painfully.

"Hadassah, I told her that you would answer her. Don't make me out to be a liar," Ari warned, resting his hand on the back of her head.

"So you want me to paint you a picture? I saw terrible hatred in the concentration camps. It was terrible and I was only ten and powerless to stop it," Hadassah said, biting her lower lip, her eyes like liquid glass.

"I'll never ask again. I promise. Just tell me," Kitty said.

"I was arrested two weeks after D-day; June 20th 1944. We were sent to Westerbork in Drenthe, Holland. Things were bad there, but it wasn't a death camp. There were no gas chambers. Me and my family were political and religious criminals who didn't show up for deportation when ordered. I had to wear shoes that were too tight and red patches on my clothes. Also I was given the worst jobs in the camp. In September me and my family were among the last Jews to leave Holland for Poland. 10,000 of us were aboard those cattle cars. A lot of us got sick and threw up on each other. We didn't even have toilets so we had no place to use the lavatory. It was snowing when we arrived at Auschwitz. The first thing the Nazis did was regulations and separated the men from the women and children under a certain age and marched the women and children to Auschwitz-Birkenau. I held my mother's hand up to the point where they separated us. It wasn't until after the war ended that I found out about the gas chambers from the Red Cross. I was then marched into a room and Polish prisoners- kapos-we called them- stole personal effects. Wedding rings, glasses, and even Stars of David. I even saw them pulling the fillings from people's mouths. Then they had me sit down and a woman put the number on my arm. All I could think of was that it hurt. It looked like an electric razor and buzzed," Hadassah said, her voice trembling slightly.

Ari stroked her face and hair gently. Hadassah was openly crying mow. "That's what I wanted to know. I'm sorry, Hadassah. I didn't realize- you have been through something a child should never have to see. Much less live through," Kitty said, her eyes filling with tears.

"I wish I didn't have to remember. My memories hurt too much. Kitty, why did I live and everyone else didn't?" Hadassah asked.

"I don't know, Hadassah. I don't know why some live and others don't. Hitler was playing God with all your lives. He got his punishment for the victims he hurt," Kitty said.

"It's over now, Hadassah," Ari said, holding her tightly to his chest.

"I know, but it's taken me a long time to put my life back to what it was before it happened. In some ways I don't think I can. I've seen too much and I don't think the Eternal wants me to forget everything. It was awful, but I found my faith in the prisons of Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Germany while I was starved and ill. Job was sick too and Yeshua's clothes were stolen from Him as mine was," Hadassah said with a wan smile.

"Well, from what you described I might be able to remove the tattoo," Kitty said, smiling back.

"What tattoo?" Barak's voice came sharply into the conversation.

Ari noticed Hadassah's face turn chalky-pale in that instant. It confirmed that Hadassah hadn't told his father or mother everything about her past.

"Ari!" his mother ran to him and hugged him tightly.

"Mama," Ari said, feeling as if he was five years old instead of 36 years old and with a fourteen-year-old daughter.

Sarah cupped his face gently and looked at him with love in her eyes. "You are too thin, Ari," his mother complained.

"I've always been thin, Mama. The food should be for Hadassah," Ari said, smiling at his daughter. She gave him a small smile as she put her arms behind her back. Maybe she was trying to hide her tattoo. Ari had gotten the impression that she had never even wanted him to see it. It was only because her sleeve had slipped down some and Kitty had mentioned it that Ari had seen it.

"What tattoo, Ari?" Barak said firmly, bring the painful topic back.

Ari saw the pained look on Hadassah's young face. Hadassah was too young, but she had seen more than he had wanted her to. Kitty was right on that score. At that moment she looked like a little old lady. The camps had taken her childhood from her and forced her to grow up before her time.

"Hadassah, we have to tell them," Ari said, cupping his daughter's thin face gently.

"I wish I didn't have to," Hadassah said, sounding like the scared four-year-old he remembered so well after a thunder storm. She would cry for him and he would put her to sleep over stories involving mice eating challah bread.

"I know. Mama, Papa, Hadassah has been through terrible time. She...she was in the death camps at the end of the war," Ari said, stroking his daughter's hair as he hugged her to his chest.

"We knew that already. She has mentioned that she was a prisoner of the Germans. Was there more?" Barak asked gruffly as Hadassah nodded her head against her father's chest. Sarah's eyes filled with tears.

"I didn't want one more person to know. It was degrading. If someone humiliated you and used you as a guinea pig for illnesses would you talk about it? I contracted scabies just because the doctors wanted to see what it would do to a normally healthy person. I also contracted typhus, but a doctor didn't inject me with the illness. That was passed by lice and fleas," Hadassah asked in a broken voice.

"She's right, Barak. We've heard the stories from the people coming into the country. There was that girl that came into Gan Dafna who confessed that she had stood, for hours, naked in front of a room full of men," Sarah said forlornly.

"She wasn't the first. Standing for hours naked was one of the first things the Nazis did to make us feel more like animals. It was terrible," Hadassah said.

"Is that how you got your tattoo?" Kitty asked, pushing the sleeve off Hadassah's forearm. The blue ink showed harshly, nearly sickening Ari. He heard his mother gasp. He looked at her. Sarah and Barak were looking at Hadassah's arm.

"No. It was given to us and then our clothes were stolen. We didn't get them back. We were given blue-striped clothes with the tattooed identification number on the front and a yellow cloth star. The color on the front showed what kind of prisoner you were. There were Jews, Gypsys, Prostitutes, and homosexuals. We all either got a different tattoo or color on the front of our prison clothes. I got both. I had the star and the tattoo," Hadassah said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Barak asked.

"I had the yellow star, which is given to all Jews, but my tattoo has racial differences in it too. If you were Greek, you had a G when they put the number on your arm. I was Jewish, so I had a J. I was known as prisoner J389-1872. I was told to give them my name and they would give me a number. Then I was ordered to forget what my mother and father ever called me. From that moment on Hadassah ben Canaan didn't exist. Too bad we couldn't have a different color or tattoo for Christians. I would have stuck out since I am one," Hadassah said with a lukewarm smile.

"I don't doubt that, Hadassah. I saw how some of the Jews onboard _The Exodus _treated you differently when they saw how you pray. They didn't get mad when you crossed yourself, though," Kitty said.

"No. Another reason is that some of us among the Jews are accepting of Christians these days since some Christians came to our aide during the war by hiding us and suffering with us in the camps.. Granted, there are some bad people who claim to love Yeshua, but are willing to murder Jews. But if the Eternal were here like He was thousands of years ago those that were murdering us would still break His windows. They would have turned on Him because He was born a Jew. Also Yeshua can fight His own battles. He didn't need Nazi ministers to do it for Him," Hadassah said, half-joking, at first, as she buttoned the sleeve of her blouse and concealing the tattoo.

"I think I can remove your tattoo though. How does two or three days sound?" Kitty asked.

"Sounds all right. I wish it were tonight, but you do the best you can. I've had it for four years. What's another two or three days?" Hadassah relented after a moment of hesitation.

"I called Dr. Liebermann. H'e going to tell Jordana that you're here, Ari," Barak said. Much to Hadassah's relief.


	12. Dinner and Revelations

Chapter 12- Dinner and Revelations

**A/N: This is going to have a slight disagreement between Ari and his daughter, but it won't last long.**

* * *

Jordana arrived an hour later, her face red and her dirty blonde hair a mess. "Ari!" Jordana squealed as she hugged Ari tightly and kissed his cheek. Ari was 7 or 8 years older than his sister and, in following Jewish tradition, like a second father to his sister. If their father wasn't there to tell her what to do Ari would step in. Akiva at one point was like a father too, but when he joined the Irgun and Barak had disowned him he had lost the right.

Ari hugged his sister back. It had been two or three months since he had last seen Jordana or his mother and father and he had forgotten how much he loved and missed them. Then again his grief over his daughter had been so thick he hadn't remembered much before he had found her in Cyprus. All he could think about was what he had lost to Hitler.

"I've missed you, Jordana," Ari said as she released him.

"So, how did your first night in Palestine go, Hadassah?" Jordana asked, looking over at Hadassah next to Kitty after Barak had made introductions.

"Traveling never affected my sleep. I fell asleep on the ground, in a tent, in the middle of winter in a German concentration camp and standing up in a cattle car on my way to Auschwitz-Birkenau," Hadassah said with a wan smile.

"You'd be the first I ever met who could do that," Kitty said.

"Death-camp Jews learn to sleep anywhere. Anywhere but ships loaded to the gills with dynamite," Hadassah said as she pointedly looked at Ari. For a moment the icy look was all her mother's. Ari had seen that look more times than he could count when he and Lotje had an argument.

"Not funny, Hadassah," Ari said, trying to sound stern, but feeling like the words fell flat in the face of her disappointment.

"Who says I'm trying to be funny? Papa, you lied to me. You told me you were bluffing about the dynamite. Reuben told me before I got off in Haifa that there really was dynamite in the hold. I never thought you'd lie to your own daughter," Hadassah said stonily.

"I thought I had to. I had to keep you with me. If I had told you the truth, would you have stayed on _The Exodus_?" Ari asked as they sat at the table.

"No. I'd have considered it as putting God to a foolish test. And I don't think Mama would have liked your stunt," Hadassah said. Ari felt as if Hadassah had struck him between the eyes. How could she have known he was thinking of how much she looked like her mother?

"Let's discuss this later, shall we? This is not the time or place for me to try to explain things to a sulky child," Ari said stiffly as Sarah brought out the cheese blintzes and other kinds of food.

* * *

The meal was jovial, but Ari refused to look at or talk to Hadassah until the very end. Ari's disappointment in her was clearly felt and while Hadassah felt bad about this happening in front of Kitty she didn't feel bad about finding out about the dynamite or getting angry at Ari. Especially after his comment about her being a sulky child. She wasn't being sulky. She was just demanding what right did Ari have to play God. Hadassah was so busy with her thoughts she didn't hear Kitty ask her a question until Jordana tapped the knuckles on her hand and nodded toward Kitty.

"I'm sorry, Kitty. I didn't hear your question," Hadassah apologized to her friend.

"I'll repeat it. When I do the surgery on your arm how do you want to be sedated?" Kitty asked.

"I have an option? What are they?" Hadassah asked two questions at once. Her mother had always said ask one question at a time, but Hadassah had recently fallen into a bad habit of asking a zillion at the same time.

"Yes, you have options. I can give you an injection or you can breathe it in," Kitty said, answering both questions.

"I'll breathe it in, thank you. Too many bad memories of injections by Nazi doctors. I swore if I ever got out of the death camps I was never going to take an injection again. How do you think I contracted scabies? Some doctor wanted to see what scabies would do to a person by injection and, wouldn't you know it was me who got that injection," Hadassah said bitterly. (**A/N: While I don't know if this was an illness that was injected into the Jews at death camps I do know that they were used as guinea pigs for medical science.)**

"Hadassah, you haven't touched your food," Sarah said, clucking her tongue.

"I'm not really hungry right now, Grandmother." Hadassah said with a wan smile as she looked down at her plate. She had poked at the blintzes and kugel until it was unrecognizable.

"So, did David come home too, Ari?" Jordana asked, changing the subject as Sarah took away Hadassah's full plate.

"No. He had to stay in Cyprus," Ari said.

"It's not fair to leave David in Cyprus for so long," Jordana complained. "He could be doing something just as important right here in Palestine."

"That is exactly what he says," Ari said with a laugh.

"But he tells me in his letters that he may be gone another year! I know Haganah will call him back if only you will use your influence with them," Jordana pouted.

"Any girl who falls in love with a Palestinian boy has a long wait coming. A nice piece of strudel, Mrs. Fremont?" Sarah offered politely.

"No, thank you. I couldn't," Kitty declined with a smile.

"You're a very pretty girl, but like my granddaughter, you could stand a little weight on you. Also your color isn't too good," Sarah said, putting the strudel on Kitty's and Hadassah's desert plates.

"Besides if it wasn't for me David wouldn't even be in Cyprus working for the Haganah. He wanted to join the Irgun. You know that,"" Jordana said. Ari's and Barak's faces changed instantly.

"What's the Irgun?" Hadassah asked.

"Never mind, Hadassah. You do not need to know," Ari said, patting her hand gently. Apparently talk of the Irgun had made Ari forget he was angry with her.

"It might help if I did. I am going to be living here and whatever you tell me won't shock me. I know more that most people my age anyways. I'm also going to find out eventually," Hadassah said.

"I saw Uncle Akiva in Jerusalem. He sends his love," Ari said abruptly, changing the subject. The same hard look when Hadassah had said that name entered Barak's eyes again.

"You will not mention that name in my house. Hadassah is a child who didn't know better, but you have no excuse, Ari," Barak said sharply.

"Father, he's all alone. He wants to forget what happened between-" Ari started to say.

"To me he is dead. At this moment when the very existence of a free Israel hangs by a thread before the United Nations he presents us to the world as a bunch of murderers!" Barak shouted.

"He has the right-" Ari started to say again.

"He is dead! I don't remember his name! I don't remember his face! He is dead!" Barak slammed his hand down on the table, causing Hadassah to jump slightly.

"Barak!" Sarah reproved.

"I have to go to Gan Dafna in an hour," Jordana said, standing up. "That is if you are ready, Mrs. Fremont." Kitty had said that she was going to be volunteering at Gan Dafna as a nurse so Jordana had volunteered taking her out there.

"May I come along, Aunt Jordana? I told my friends, Karen Hansen and Yehudit Feinstein that I'd come visit them," Hadassah said, standing as well.

"Of course as long as your father doesn't mind," Jordana said, looking to Ari.

"I don't mind. I'll come and pick you up," Ari said, standing up and hugging Hadassah tightly.

"I'm sorry that you had to leave so soon, Mrs. Fremont. Maybe I can wrap this for you," Sarah suggested, indicating the strudel on Kitty's plate.

"Oh no, don't bother. Goodbye, Mrs. ben Canaan and thank you for the good food," Kitty said, shaking Sarah's hand.

"Goodbye and I hope you will come back very soon. And next time I hope you and Hadassah will be a little hungrier," Sarah said teasingly as Barak stood up.

"Goodbye," Kitty said warmly.

"Bye," Barak said gruffly as everyone left.

"Barak, you should be ashamed of yourself! You lost your temper in front of a stranger and our Ari's child," Hadassah heard Sarah reprimand as she got into Kitty's car with Kitty and Jordana. Whatever Barak said next was lost as the car pulled away.

* * *

Hadassah got out of the volkswagon and looked around at the kibbutz. There were some little kids tending flower beds and a group of boys learning how to fight with sticks "Kitty! Hadassah!" Karen ran to them, followed by Yehudit. Both girls were wearing matching blue shirts and shorts. The clothes looked much like Jordana's tan shirt and shorts, except for a different color.

"Karen, are you and Yehudit all right?" Hadassah asked as she and Kitty hugged their friends and Jordana went to inspect the flower beds.

"Fine. We're learning a lot of fighting techniques and Yehudit is taking cooking classes," Karen said exuberantly.

"I wouldn't mind the cooking classes. I was learning how to cook in 1944 when the Nazis arrested me and my family," Hadassah said as she and Kitty followed Karen to the room she shared with the Edna they had met the day before.

Hadassah sat on the bed as Kitty helped unpack clothes and Karen hung them in an armoire. "So, what are your grandparents like?" Karen asked Hadassah.

"They are good. I wonder if my grandfather really wants me here. My grandmother does as she's been piling food on me like there's no tomorrow, but Grandfather is so gruff. He got upset when Papa mentioned Great-Uncle Akiva," Hadassah said.

"I was there, Hadassah. Your grandfather probably didn't mean anything by it. He'll get over it," Kitty said in a soothing voice.

"I hope so," Hadassah said in a soothing voice.

"So, Karen, what is happening here?" Kitty wanted to know.

"We've been learning how to fight. And you know something else? I've been elected to the Rome Committee; Bungalow 12," Karen said happily as she took a blouse from Kitty.

"Oh really?" Kitty asked.

"Yes. And you remember Edna? The girl I'm sharing the room with?" Karen asked Hadassah.

"Of course I do," Hadassah said.

"Well, she's helping me with Hebrew so I can catch up with the others," Karen said.

"Well, maybe I should come here for those lessons," Hadassah said, pushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. (**A/N: I am actually trying to learn Hebrew as well as Karen and Hadassah. So if you seen Hebrew words crop up in this, know it's from my own lessons.)**

"Both of you want to learn Hebrew?" Kitty asked.

"Yes. We have a language of our own now," Karen said. " And there's something else too! When you're 16 you join the army they are assembling. And everyone joins, also girls. And, oh, I didn't show the two of you the statue of Dafna," Karen said, pulling both of them to the window. A statue of what appeared to be a woman with a rifle over her head was in the middle of the courtyard.

"She was the only soldier the Arabs captured and tortured to find out things from her, but she wouldn't tell. So they sent her back here in a sack, tied to the back of a mule. They cut off her hands and feet and they gouged out her eyes, but she wouldn't tell them anything," Karen said with a sad smile.

"She was very young," Kitty said with a slight catch in her voice.

"17. She and Ari ben Canaan were in love," Karen said.

"My father was in love with her?" Hadassah asked in surprise.

"They grew up together. They were sweethearts until she died and he married your mother. But they say he's never even thought of marriage after losing your mother and Dafna. They named the village after Dafna. And there's something else too! Dr. Liebermann knows my father! I mean, he's read my father's books. He knows who my father is!" Karen said excitedly as the bell sounded.

"That's wonderful," Kitty said.

"We have to go to supper now," Karen said.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I couldn't eat a thing. I had too much at Ari's," Kitty said with a smile.

"Then I'll come back later. You're going to love it here, Kitty. I'll see you later, Hadassah," Karen said, walking away.

Hadassah walked up to the statue of Dafna with Kitty. She must have been incredible if Ari loved her before Hadassah's mother. Kitty and Hadassah looked to a blue truck and Ari got out, a cigarette in his hand. He smoked as he walked to them and dropped what remained on the ground.

After hugging Hadassah he kissed Kitty briefly. Hadassah had seen a look of love pass between her father and Kitty, but Hadassah had ignored the look. This time she could not ignore the kiss Ari was giving Kitty. It reminded her of the kisses she remembered that he gave to her mother. Hadassah felt a painful tightening in her heart as she thought of her mother.

"What's the matter? You act like a stranger," Ari said with a smile at Kitty. Kitty shrugged.

"I feel like one," Kitty said.

"I guess I'd feel the same way too if I suddenly found myself in Indiana. You just don't understand it yet," Ari said. A steely look entered Kitty's blue eyes.

"Stop saying that. I can understand just as well as you can. I don't hear you saying that to Hadassah. She has to understand just as much as me since she is Palestinian and has never seen it until now," Kitty said as she smiled faintly.

"Kitty, I think I don't understand. I feel like a stranger too. Besides my father, I only know you, Karen, Yehudit and Joseph. I feel like I did at Auschwitz; lost in the shuffle," Hadassah said, starting to cough and wheeze slightly.

"Kitty, Hadassah, I didn't come here to fight. I have to get back to Jerusalem and I came to say goodbye and take Hadassah with me if she wants to come," Ari said, leaning in to kiss Kitty again. Kitty stopped the kiss. "What?"

"I had an accident on the road today. It wasn't your fault, but I am going to drive more carefully from now on," Kitty said.

"You don't really mean that!" Ari protested.

"I do. You were right. We are different. I've been feeling the difference all afternoon. I feel outside. The way your mother father- they were perfectly charming, I don't mean that, but the way they looked at me. The way your sister talks to me. The only one who didn't treat me differently was Hadassah. It doesn't make sense to discuss it. No sense at all," Kitty said sadly.

"Well, if it doesn't make any sense to discuss it we'll just forget about it. Hadassah, let's go," Ari ordered sharply. A pained look was in her father's eyes, but Hadassah knew that he'd never say anything about it to her. "If I get any word about the girl's father I'll let you know. Goodbye," Ari touched the back of Hadassah's neck and they both walked away.

"Goodbye," Kitty said.

"Goodbye, Kitty," Hadassah said over her shoulder as she followed Ari to the truck.


	13. Breakfast and Painful Reunions

Chapter 13- Breakfast and Painful Reunions

**A/N: I decided to put two people in the history of Israel in this part. Considering that Ari is Haganah and Barak works for the Jewish Agency it isn't too much of a stretch that both men would know David ben Gurion and Golda Meir.**

* * *

Jerusalem was always pretty incredible if you've never seen it. Especially if that someone who had never seen it just happened to be your fourteen-year-old daughter. Even at night it was lit up and the old walls made it look like a fortress. Hadassah was looking around in awe, pretty much forgetting, to Ari's relief, the kiss she saw him give to Kitty. At the moment he had no idea how to explain that he was in love with someone who wasn't Hadassah's mother.

The next morning Ari and Hadassah were on the terrace of the King David hotel. Ari had asked if they could sit on the terrace so he could show some of the city to Hadassah. They had the menus in front of them and Hadassah was looking at hers in frustration. "I wish this thing was in English or German. I doesn't help that I can't read Hebrew," Hadassah complained, closing her menu.

"Would you like me to order for you? I know every thing on the menu," Ari said, squeezing her work-roughened hand in his. This was one of those times when he remembered that once her hands had been so small that they fit inside his. Now her hands were not so small, felt calloused, and all of her fingernails were broken and chipped from hard work.

"Okay. It's just as well since you know Hebrew," Hadassah said with a rueful smile.

"You'll know it too. I'm signing you up for lessons in Hebrew. Classes start in a week or two," Ari said.

"You don't have to do that, Papa. I more or less learned Dutch, German, and English by ear," Hadassah said, biting her lower lip.

"I want to. If you are going to live here with me you are going to have to learn the language here. It's not that much different than when you and your mother emigrated to Holland. You had to learn Dutch to fit in. The British accent you have won't help you fit in since most of us don't want the British here," Ari said, touching her face gently.

"That's what Karen said yesterday. She said some girl named Edna, out at Gan Dafna, is teaching her Hebrew since it's going to be the official language of Palestine if Partition goes through," Hadassah said as the waiter put some cheese blintzes in front of them and Ari gave the order.

"She was right. Partition is going to happen. That was the reason why I had to get you here, besides the fact that you are my daughter," Ari explained, taking a sip of his coffee.

"So you really didn't try looking for me at Carolas?" Hadassah asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I did look. I just was disappointed so many times. I couldn't get any word back from the Red Cross and I looked at every fourteen-year-old refugee girl who came into Palestine. I just didn't think I'd find you this time around after so many disappointments and being told you were dead. You literally walked up to me in the camp," Ari said, wrapping a few strands of her hair around his fingers.

"I'm not dead, Papa. At one time I wanted to die. At one time I was begging God to let me die. Does that shock you, Papa?" Hadassah asked, looking into Ari's eyes.

"No. It's understandable after all you've been through, but you are alive and here with me now. I want to make up to you all the years we missed. I want to send you to school and see that haunted look leave your eyes. I also want to see you get married. Just don't mention the words 'boys' or 'wedding' to me any time soon," Ari said in a teasing voice.

"I haven't really thought about boys or marriage, Papa. At the end of the war it took all my time and energy to get well. Kitty did say I was pretty once, but I've never really thought that. Not even before the Nazis scalped and branded me like a cow," Hadassah said with a wan smile.

Branded and scalped?" A new voice joined the conversation. Ari turned. Golda Meir and David ben Gurion was standing there. David ben Gurion and Golda Meir were the heads of the Jewish Agency and the Haganah.

"I read a lot. I've read too many books set in America," Hadassah said.

"David, Golda, this is my daughter. Hadassah, this is David ben Gurion and Golda Meir," Ari introduced his daughter.

Your father had told me that his granddaughter had been found on Cyprus. He said she was beautiful with your eyes, Ari. He was right," ben Gurion said with a smile.

"My grandfather said that? I thought he didn't really want me here," Hadassah said, a confused look in her eyes.

"What makes you think that, child?" Golda asked in that kind way she had. Golda was one of those people that didn't act like she looked. Golda looked like a cookie-baking grandmother and was kind to her own race, but under that kindness was a iron will that most people didn't think was there. It was only when you went on assignments with her that you saw how strong she was. It was much like his daughter right now. Hadassah had her health issues, but she was stronger than she looked.

"He just didn't seem happy to see me as he was my father yesterday. I was even wondering if he was disappointed that I was born a granddaughter instead of a grandson," Hadassah explained with such clear logic it was stunning. Apparently she had been thinking a lot about this and this was the first Ari had heard anything about her thinking Barak might have been disappointed that she wasn't a male.

"That's nonsense, child. Barak was very happy that you are here. He said that your father tried so hard to bring you and your poor mother here. It's a shame that you had to smuggle your own daughter into the country, Ari," Golda said, clucking her tongue sympathetically.

"I know. I thought that too. I thought my Palestinian passport would save my daughter and wife ten years ago," Ari said, cupping Hadassah's face gently.

"He also mentioned the tattoo and poor appetite," Golda said.

Hadassah bared her arm, revealing the number. "I have seen a lot of people come into Palestine with those tattoos, but it always shocks me to see it. Especially on one so young," ben Gurion said, his eyes like mirror glass.

"It took me for a turn as well. I knew she had gone to Auschwitz, but I guess I thought that she wouldn't have the tattoo. In a few days, though, it's going to be gone. Hadassah made the acquaintance of an American nurse while we were in Cyprus. She said that she could perform the surgery two days from now," Ari explained.

"That's good. A beautiful girl shouldn't have a tattoo like that," Golda said as she and ben Gurion walked away.

"Papa, do you think Mrs. Meir was right about me being beautiful?" Hadassah asked as the waiter set food in front of them.

"Yes I do. I always thought you were beautiful. Now, eat. You need a little weight on you. I don't care if you're used to being hungry. I'm not used to it," Ari said, squeezing her hand gently.

Hadassah smiled back at him. It wasn't like the smiles he used to see when she was small. Her eyes would light up like a Chanukah menorah. With everything she had been through, in the last ten years, her smile never quite reached her eyes. Ari wasn't sure if he'd ever see the smile he knew so well again.

* * *

It didn't take long for the Haganah to send Ari word on Karen's father and arrange for her to meet him. The only hitch to the meeting was that it was the day of Hadassah's surgery, but Hadassah, being gracious, had said that she could postpone it since she and Kitty had to be there for Karen.

They were to meet in the lobby of the King David Hotel. Ari looked at his daughter. "Are you sure you want to come, Hadassah? A mental hospital is not a pleasant place," Ari asked, pressing her head to his chest and rubbing her head gently with his hand.

"Neither is a death camp, but I survived it," Hadassah said, burying her face in Ari's chest.

"You have a point. I keep forgetting you aren't four years old any more and I can't protect you from everything, like I did once. Although I'd still like to sometimes," Ari said dryly as they went to the hotel. Karen got to her feet from the chair beside Kitty and ran to them.

"Hadassah!" Karen hugged Hadassah exuberantly.

"Hello, Karen," Hadassah said with a smile.

"I'm sorry you couldn't do your surgery today like you planned, Hadassah. I know you wanted it," Karen said in a soothing tone.

"It's all right. What's a few more days? You are my friend and I know you wanted to find your father more than I want this silly tattoo removed," Hadassah said. Karen smiled.

"Thanks for understanding, Haddy. Hello, Mr. ben Canaan," Karen said, shaking Ari's hand.

"Hello, Karen. How have you been?" Ari asked as Kitty joined them. Ari felt his chest tighten painfully. Every time he saw her he was reminded of how beautiful she was and he remembered what it was like being in love with Dafna and Lotje.

"Thank you," Karen said.

"Hello," Ari said shortly to Kitty. No matter what Ari felt he had to treat her like she wanted; as if they didn't love each other.

"Hadassah, I'm sorry. I wanted to perform the surgery," Kitty said, hugging Hadassah.

"It's fine, Kitty. Karen is more important. She wants her father more than I want to get rid of this. What's a few more days?" Hadassah asked as they walked out and headed for Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus.

* * *

They walked up the steps leading to the mental hospital, Kitty talking to Karen as they reached the top. "Karen, you do understand that it's been a long time since you've seen him. He may have changed so much you won't recognize him," Kitty said, her arm around Karen's shoulder.

"I'll recognize him. Hadassah recognized Mr. ben Canaan after ten years," Karen said.

"There is a reason for that. Until we were arrested my mother never wanted me to forget my father's face. So she showed me pictures and when we were arrested she had me say my father's name repeatedly," Hadassah said, holding Ari's hand tightly.

They walked into the hospital and Ari waved a doctor over. "Doctor?" Ari asked.

"Yes?" The doctor asked.

"Dr. Angle, this is Mrs. Fremont, my daughter, Hadassah, and this is Karen," Ari introduced them all.

"The young lady understands, does she not?" The doctor asked sternly.

"Yes. We've told her everything," Kitty said.

"That's good. Just be a moment," the doctor said, walking away.

"Hadassah, I'm a little scared," Karen said softly.

"I know. You're trembling," Hadassah said matter-of-factly.

"Will you and Kitty come with me?" Karen asked.

"Of course we will," Kitty said as the doctor opened a door and beckoned them inside.

An old man with white hair and a haunted look in his eyes sat on a cot, staring blankly into no where. Karen went to him and he didn't even notice when she kissed one of his limp hands, touched his face, and buttoned the top button of his shirt.

Karen hugged her father briefly and walked slowly to Hadassah and Kitty. "He's tired," Karen said woodenly as she walked out, followed by the others.


	14. Bombings and Bad News

Chapter 14- Bombings and Bad News.

**A/N: I know in the movie that it was Karen who Ari had to carry away, but for this story I wanted it to be Hadassah who loses it when the King David Hotel is bombed. It's another instance where she has to face one of the demons from the war.**

* * *

A loud explosion filled the air, getting all of their attention. Ari looked in shock. It was the King David Hotel where he and Hadassah had met Karen and Kitty!

"It's the King David Hotel," Ari said in a hushed voice. The silent moment was broken by a loud scream of anguish. It took a second to realize that it was his normally, calm daughter screaming loudly. Ari looked at his daughter. Her knuckles were white from the grip she had on the railing in front of her and she looked frozen to the spot.

Kitty looked at Ari and Karen in concern and wrapped her arm around Hadassah's thin shoulders. "Hadassah, let go of the railing," Kitty ordered, trying to pry Hadassah's fingers from the railing. Kitty succeeded and hugged Hadassah as she cried uncontrollably.

Kitty shook her head at Ari in concern. Ari picked Hadassah up in his arm, nearly unhinged by her shuddering sobs. He felt her arms go around his neck and she buried her face in his shoulder as they went back to the mental hospital.

Ari sat down, putting Hadassah on the chair next to him. Hadassah still held onto him, crying into his chest. Kitty sat down on the other side of Hadassah and Karen stood in mute shock. "It's all right, Hadassah. It's all right," Ari whispered softly as he kissed the top of her head gently.

"It has to be more than the bombing that has her so terrified. Hadassah, what's wrong? You weren't like this a few days ago when you told us your prison history," Kitty said as Hadassah raised her face from Ari's chest, tears dripping down her cheeks, and sniffling. Ari handed her a handkerchief.

"It's been 7 years and I can still remember it as if it was yesterday. I was living in Rotterdam when the invasion of Holland happened; May 7th 1940. I was 7 years old then and thought my life was over. My grandfather was a Rabbi and he had preached about hell the Saturday before. I had thought that when the first bomb fell that that had to be what hell was. I heard so many people screaming; Mama and Aunt Shoshanna among them. I even heard my Uncle Micaiah say that this had to be like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse that John the Revelator saw in the last book of the Bible," Hadassah said, her voice breaking at the memory.

Ari stroked her hair gently and gently kissed her salty-wet face. "Papa, please don't leave me. I can't lose you like Mama," Hadassah begged. Ari stroked her face and smiled at her.

"I'm right here, Kichel. It's going to be all right. I'm not leaving you," Ari said, looking into her tear-filled eyes.

"Mr. ben Canaan, who do you think bombed the hotel?" Karen asked, changing the subject.

"I have an idea, Karen. I think it was the Irgun, headed by my uncle, Akiva. He said he would continue to bomb places," Ari explained, twining his fingers in Hadassah's hair.

"Why would he do that, Ari?" Kitty asked.

"He told me he would, but I had hoped he would change his mind," Ari said.

"But why the King David Hotel, Ari? Isn't that a neutral ground since not only the British go there, but Arabs and your own people?" Kitty asked.

"It sounds as if the Irgun are vultures, Kitty. We had some of those during the war too. The Nazis would tell Jewish men that if they "helped" arrest us and select us for the death camps their families would be spared dying with the rest of us. I saw a man from the Jewish police once beat a little old Jewess senseless. I often wondered if he would beat his mama like that. My uncle was offered a job like that, but he said no. He said there was no honor in helping a person you despised to kill your own people," Hadassah said forlornly.

"You are right, Kichel, but I also think it is because the British have taken over a wing of the hotel and Akiva wants the British out of our country. To him the King David is a good target. I just hate that it brought the painful memories back, Hadassah. I could throttle Akiva for this," Ari said, smoothing her face gently.

Hadassah buried her face in Ari's chest and grabbed huge handfuls of his jacket. "You don't have to do that, Papa. If it wasn't Akiva it would have been someone else. I just wish I didn't have so many bad memories. I remember when the concentration camp I was in was liberated. The soldier carrying me out said that time would cure the bad memories. I could say one better. I think only God can do that. That soldier was mocking Yeshua anyways while carrying me to the Red Cross tent," Hadassah said as a man came in, a fearful look on his face. Judging from his dress he looked like a British soldier.

"All clear, ladies and gentlemen," he said crisply.

"Are you certain?" Hadassah asked, standing up.

"Yes. The smoke is still in the air, but if any of you need to get home and your homes are outside the city it would be a good idea if you left now," the soldier explained, saluting and doing an about-face. He left the hospital without another word.

"Well, that's that," Karen said as they went outside.

"I guess it is. Ari, will they capture Akiva?" Kitty asked.

"I guess they will look for him. Right now let's get you three home," Ari said, ending the subject.

* * *

The drive back to the Valley of Jezreel had taken hours. Before this afternoon's bombing it had taken less than an hour to get to Jerusalem from Gan Dafna or Barak's farm.

It was after dark when Karen and Kitty dropped Ari and Hadassah off at Barak's farm. Considering the checkpoints and the length of the trip, both Ari and Hadassah were completely worn out.

Ari had picked up his daughter and carried her into the house when his father opened the door. The bright light of the house blinded both of them momentarily. "Ari! We were so worried! Is Hadassah all right?" Sarah asked as Ari and Hadassah sat down on the couch.

"Yes. She's just tired, Mama," Ari said, rubbing Hadassah's thin back gently.

"And a little hungry, Grandmother," Hadasah said drowsily.

"I figured you would be. So you eat and then you sleep," Sarah said as Hadassah got to her feet wearily. Ari stood as well. He had to make sure Hadassah sat down before she fell down. Hadassah made her way slowly to the kitchen with Sarah.

"Unbelievable. She manages to walk while worn out," Ari said, shaking his head.

"Ari, do you know who bombed the hotel," Barak asked, concern in his eyes.

"Yes. It was Akiva. He told me he would on the night I returned from Cyprus. All I can think of know is Hadassah's reaction. She was so afraid and was screaming. I had to pick her up and carry her away from there," Ari said, looking toward the kitchen. He could hear his mother talking about food and begging Hadassah to take more.

"Please don't try to stuff me, Grandmother. My mother used to say it was bad to eat this late at night," Hadassah's thin voice complained in amusement. Ari smiled. His mother thought that food was the cure to all ills. Her granddaughter had to be an oddity since she wasn't the hardiest of eaters.

"My poor granddaughter. We do not even know half of the hell she's been through. She's very private from what I've seen. She's a lot like you were at that age, my boy," Barak said.

"I don't know if that's good or bad. I always said that I wanted her to never be afraid to tell me if she was hurt or scared. Today she told me the hotel bombing was like when the Nazis invaded Holland. I held her in my arms as she cried like a frightened child. She used to do that when thunderstorms happened when she was little. I told her all the stories you, Mama, and Akiva ever told me when I was little," Ari said with a reflective smile.

"Papa, I think a thunderstorm is different from a bombing or a death camp. I'd even say that it's different from my asthma attacks," Hadassah's voice startled them.

"The asthma does sound better than it did in Cyprus. You haven't been wheezing as hard as then," Ari said, stroking her face gently.

"I've had only one serious one since then, but that's it," Hadassah said wearily.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" Ari asked, amused.

"It passed quickly and I saw no point to say anything since I'm not dead yet," Hadassah said bluntly.

"That's a fair point, but I would rather you told me when something like that happens. Not saying anything is the same as lying and you know I did punish you when you lied to me 10 years ago," Ari said sternly.

"You did?" Hadassah asked skeptically.

"You don't remember? You were barely four and you lied to me. I had to spank you. It hurt me to do it since I hated that it made you cry, but your mother told me I had to punish you. Otherwise you'd never learn that lying to your papa was wrong," Ari said.

"Oh. I probably would have done the same thing if our roles were reversed. I was rarely ever spanked by Opa and Uncle Micaiah, but I think when they did they used a switch and Opa would use his hand. I don't know which hurts worse; the hand or the switch," Hadassah said ruefully.

"I used my hand. I would take you over my knee and hit you two or three times. Your mother told me never to do more than that and to hug you afterward to show you that I still loved you very much," Ari said.

"It must have worked since I wouldn't have hugged you onboard _The Exodus_ if I thought you didn't love me," Hadassah said, burying her face in Ari's chest.

"You are all I have of your mother. I don't want to lose you like I did your mother. You understand why I get upset. I love you too much. If I didn't love you I wouldn't get upset," Ari said, pressing his lips into her hair.

* * *

Hadassah had gotten back into the habit of doing chores and waking up before anyone else in the house. She felt like the woman in Proverbs who would go to bed late and wake up while it was still dark. Two days later at 5 o'clock in the morning she had woken up and was busy cooking breakfast when someone knocked sharply on the door.

Hadassah walked to the door and peeked out the peephole. Yehudit and Joshua, a boy Hadassah remembered from _The Exodus,_was there. "Yehudit, Joshua, come in. Do you two want breakfast? I have plenty," Hadassah said, going over to the skillet on the stove and turning the scrambled eggs.

"No, thank you. Hadassah, Joseph ben Aaron has been arrested," Joshua said, getting to the point.

"What? Why?" Hadassah asked, shocked.

"He joined the Haganah after we got off the ship and 48 members of the Haganah have all been arrested since last night. They think the Haganah bombed the King David when it was really the Irgun," Joshua said.

"That's impossible! Joseph's a Christian. He's incapable of murder. It's not in his character," Hadassah said, feeling faint.

"The British don't care. If Joseph's convicted he'll be sent to Acre Prison with the members of the Irgun and the other Haganah members. The British plan to hang them all," Joshua said.

"I'll talk to my grandfather and Papa. Maybe they can do something for Joseph," Hadassah said as she absently stirred the scrambled eggs in the skillet.


	15. Morning Devotions and Acre Prison

Chapter 15- Morning Devotions and Acre Prison

**A/N: **Biblical references are taken from the Living Bible and are two of my favorite verses. I don't know if the Living Bible was around during 1947, but I don't read the King James version.

* * *

Ari came down to the kitchen. Hadassah was sitting at the table, her compact Bible spread open on the table. Ari wasn't too familiar with what Lotje had called the New Testament. He only knew a few stories about the man called Yeshua of Nazareth and who the gentiles referred to as Jesus. Lotje had told him the stories and he had heard Hadassah repeat them in the few weeks since she had come back into his life.

He looked at the book in front of her. She was reading some part of it called Romans, chapter 8. "For we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Yeshua Christ our Lord," Ari heard her whisper softly and flip to the end of the Bible. "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you and you will suffer persecutions for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death and I will give you a crown of life. Revelation 2:10," Hadassah said, closing the Bible and noticing Ari for the first time.

"Sounds interesting. Do you plan to go to prison, Kichel?" Ari asked as Hadassah turned to him and he kissed her forehead.

"I've already been to prison, Papa. I was looking up these verses so I can send them to Joseph ben Aaron. Yehudit and a friend, named Joshua, told me that Joseph's been arrested for the King David bombing," Hadassah said, kissing Ari's cheek.

"That's ridiculous! It was Akiva who bombed the hotel!" Ari said, shock entering his voice.

"That's what I said. Joseph couldn't kill anybody any more than I could. We're still followers of the laws of Mosheh the Lawgiver," Hadassah said.

"Hadassah, I need to go out to Acre. I can try to give the verses to Joseph," Ari said, cupping her face gently.

"No. I need to do it. Joseph is my friend and, from what Yehudit says, I'm to be the proverbial pack mule and give him the Bible and gifts from the fourteen others who were on the _Exodus," _Hadassah said wearily.

"I don't like it, but I guess I can get you into Acre Prison when I go with your grandfather," Ari volunteered.

"Can you do that, Papa?" Hadassah asked as her father stroked her face and hair gently.

"I'll talk to your grandfather and he'll talk to David ben-Gurion," Ari said with a smile. Hadassah smiled back.

"Thank you, Papa," Hadassah said softly.

"You are welcome," Ari said, kissing her forehead again.

* * *

2 days later Hadassah sat in her grandfather's car as he drove to Jerusalem. Apparently Akiva had been arrested and her grandfather was feeling a huge amount of guilt for his attitude towards Akiva. Ari had also decided to come with them as support for both her and Barak.

"Grandfather, are they really going to allow us into the prison?" Hadassah asked nervously as she gnawed her lower lip.

"I have permission. I don't agree with allowing you in there. Acre Prison is no place for a child," Barak grumped.

"Neither is a concentration camp and I was a prisoner at three of those and a transit camp. From the way Joshua, and Papa's friend Reuben, described it, it's not much different than a death camp," Hadassah said thinly.

"Do you have everything that you wanted to give Joseph?" Ari asked, changing the subject as he stroked her hair gently.

"I think so. A tin of cookies from Yehudit, a pair of socks from Karen, and a compact complete Bible from me with the verses in Romans and Revelation marked. I just hope I can give these to him," Hadassah said, touching the cool Corinthian leather of the Bible nervously.

"How did you get the Bible anyway?" Barak asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

"I bought it in England with some many I had in one of my socks. The Nazis stole my Bible when I entered Auschwitz. Their reason was that I murdered Christ and, ergo, Christianity was not for me. But if I murdered the Messiah, then so did they," Hadassah said stonily.

"It looks nice," Ari said, taking the Bible in his hands.

"I thought so too. I just hope that Joseph can read King James with all the 'thees' and 'thous.' I had difficulty when I first read this version. Before I had only read the Bible in Hebrew since I knew the language then. I bought this one when I was learning English," Hadassah explained as Barak parked the car and they went into the section of the prison reserved for men condemned to die.

Hadassah made the sign of the cross and prayed silently as they sat on the bench reserved for visitors. A scraping sound filled the room and Barak stood. Hadassah and Ari stood as well.

"Hadassah? Hadassah ben Canaan?" Joseph ben Aaron asked. Joseph was standing next to an old man in a rusty-red prison outfit. Joseph wore the same outfit and made Hadassah think of those blue striped outfits the Nazis forced the Jews at Auschwitz to wear. Hadassah looked at her grandfather's younger brother. He looked older than her grandfather and Hadassah could see a small similarity to her father.

Hadassah looked back at Joseph. "Joseph, are you all right?" Hadassah asked in horror. Joseph had dark purple bruises on his face, dried scratches, and a split lip. He looked like Hadassah had looked when Bergin Belsen was liberated four years ago.

"I'm fine. They just want me to confess to a crime I didn't commit. Hadassah, I am Haganah. I am not a killer. There is a huge difference between me and the Irgun," Joseph said, a note of frustration in his tone.

"I know, Joseph. I also know you aren't a murderer. Yehudit and Joshua don't believe it either. You couldn't murder anyone any more than I could. It's not in our characters. Even after everything that was done to us in the camps we value life way too much," Hadassah said, looking pointedly at Akiva.

"How old are you again?" Joseph asked amused.

"I'll be 15 in May. Ask my father. He knows my age," Hadassah asked with thin humor as she looked at Ari.

"You seem older than 14. You look like you're eighty instead of 14," Joseph said dryly.

"That's what my father and grandfather say. I grew up way too fast and too quickly; especially at the age of ten. When I was arrested 2 weeks after D-day the little girl I was died and I took her place. On a happier note I've brought you a few things. Yehudit baked cookies; Karen knitted you some socks and I want you to have a Bible and my Star of David," Hadassah said, holding each item through the bars and removing her necklace before the guards could stop her.

"Your Star of David? You told me that the night Kitty Fremont gave it back to you that you'd never remove it again and your father gave it to you when you were four," Joseph said skeptically as he ran his fingers over the flowered pattern on the Star.

"Yes. You can return it to me later when we get you out. Just don't lose it. It's all I have from my father. The Nazis couldn't take it from me and Kitty returned it when she decided to come here with us on the _Exodus,"_ Hadassah said, her eyes filling with tears as she left the room, joined by Barak and Ari 5 minutes later.

* * *

"Hadassah?" Ari touched his daughter's thin shoulder gently.

"Papa, we can't let him die in there. Four years ago I swore that I wouldn't watch someone else die in prison," Hadassah said brokenly as she buried her face in Ari's chest. He rubbed her back gently and looked at his father. Barak looked just as upset.

"We know, Child. God, don't let my brother and Hadassah's friend die by the end of a British rope!" Barak said with a hint of anger in his voice.

"So now you care about Uncle Akiva?" Hadassah asked bitterly as she raised her head from Ari's chest.

"Hadassah!" Ari rebuked sternly.

"No, my son. My granddaughter is more righteous than I am. She saw right through me. She saw a bitter, angry old man. I just hope you can forgive me. I gave you an excellent welcome to your new home," Barak said sarcastically.

"It's all right. I understand and forgive you. Did you ask Akiva for forgiveness?" Hadassah asked bluntly.

"I couldn't say a word to him, Child," Barak admitted as they walked through the prison gates.

"So Akiva is going to die thinking you don't care? My other grandfather and my mother would say you have the same disease that made the Nazis kill them and the other 6 million Jews; hatred, unforgiveness, and bitterness," Hadassah said stonily.

"Are you always this blunt?" Barak asked.

"Not normally, no," Hadassah said.

"No, she's not, Papa. She's getting this new attitude from her mother. How many times did her mother do what Hadassah's doing now? We never had an argument I won," Ari said dryly as they got into the car.

"I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment," Hadassah muttered under her breath.

"Hadassah, I didn't say I was disappointed. I just didn't expect it from you. You are for the most part docile and obedient. When you were little you always did as I said, but now I don't know what to expect half the time," Ari said as his father drove.

"So, how are we going to get them out?" Hadassah asked, changing the subject.

"I don't know, Child. I can try diplomatic routes, but Akiva is Irgun," Barak said heavily.

"What about Joseph? He's Haganah. Papa, you did say there is a difference between Haganah and Irgun, right?" Hadassah asked nervously.

"Some people don't think there is one, Kichel. They say we are murderers like the Irgun, but we're not. We kill to defend ourselves. The Irgun kills for the sake of killing; to prove a point. I never would have set off the dynamite onboard the _Exodus_. I got it before I found you on Cyprus. Afterwards I couldn't set it off with you looking at me like I was committing some kind of sin. I couldn't do it with my daughter watching the whole time as I took her life; the very life that me, your mother, and God gave you," Ari said, hugging her to his chest.

"Papa, why don't we ask the Haganah and Irgun to work together? All we can do is tell them that they are not allowed to kill anyone in a temporary alliance between either group," Hadassah suggested as Ari stroked her hair absently.

"You don't know what you are asking, young one, but it deserves some consideration. Hadassah, when we get home can you mention your ideas to the Haganah and Irgun?" Ari asked.

"Papa, besides you, Akiva, Reuben, Hank, Joshua, and Joseph I don't know anyone from either group," Hadassah gave a legitimate excuse.

"Good point. If I brought you in front of either group, could you mention your idea?" Ari asked, raising her chin so he could look into her eyes.

"If you want me to, but you just said the Irgun are killers. Is it safe, Papa?" Hadassah asked, gnawing her lower lip; a habit Ari recognized from Lotje when Lotje was nervous. Hadassah also pulled her ear and jerked her hair when she was nervous or thinking; two other traits from her mother.

"They won't harm you. You are a child and you happen to be mine so they might listen," Ari said.

"If you say it's all right, I'll do it," Hadassah said, Ari gently rubbing her head, back and neck. In a matter of minutes she was asleep in her father's arms, breathing deeply.


	16. Meeting with the Irgun and Plans

Chapter 16- Meeting With the Irgun and Plans

The next day Hadassah was sitting next to her father in his volkswagon that he drove when he wasn't in Jerusalem on Haganah business."Do you have to wear that?" Hadassah asked, indicating the black Muslim robe and head covering, that Ari had called a keffiyah.

"The Irgun is hiding in Abu Yesha. When we get there I'll give you yours. We'll pass as an Arab man with his daughter instead of a Jewish man with his," Ari explained.

"Papa, with my hair and eyes I could never pass as Arab. I think the Nazis were surprised that I didn't even fit their stereotype for a Jew," Hadassah protested.

"Well, we'll try. Chances are they won't pay us any attention. Just keep your eyes down and cover your hair," Ari said, parking the car in front of a sun-baked building and handing her a billowing black robe and keffiyah.

"Is this to hide my hair?" Hadassah asked, taking the clothes.

"yes. Now I'll do the talking, but when it comes time I want you to mention your idea. All right?" Ari asked as she put on the robe and keffiyah.

"All right. I won't say a word. I just hope this works," Hadassah said as she followed Ari into the courtyard and they followed some men into a house. Ari, two of the men, and Hadassah pulled the keffiyahs off their heads as another man came in.

"Shalom," one of the men said.

"i thought you were on Cyprus, David ben Ami," a man who was sitting, apparently a leader, said.

"I've been called back," David said stonily as the leader looked at Ari and Hadassah and then the other stranger beside David.

"You shouldn't have brought him here, Joel, or that little girl there," the leader reprimanded. "Not only will they risk our lives, but the Jews who live here as well. We have discovered not only is there danger from the British. The Arabs will slaughter the whole village."

"Papa, can they do that?" Hadassah asked, forgetting what Ari said about being quiet.

"We'll be out before they can, Hadassah," Ari said, patting the back of her head gently.

"He and the little one insisted on talking to you expressly," Joel said. "And I have orders from Akiva that Ari ben Canaan and his brat may see us any time they want to." Hadassah saw Ari's face stiffen slightly and his hand tighten like a vice on the back of her neck at the man's insulting her.

"Well, you're here. What do you want?" The leader asked brusquely.

"For one thing I don't take kindly to my daughter being insulted. Secondly, the United Nations will probably vote on Partition by the end of the month-" Ari started to say.

"We listen to the radio also," Joel interrupted impatiently.

"Meanwhile, half the leadership of the Irgun and forty members of the Haganah are rotting down there in Acre Prison," Ari said, just as impatiently.

"Including Akiva your uncle? So?" A burly man who had just joined the group asked.

"If Partition is voted we'll need every man we can find to fight the Arabs. Irgun, Haganah, what difference does it make? I spent 14 months in that prison. I know every inch of it. I can show you exactly-" Ari started to say before being interrupted again by a short man with a cinnamon-colored beard.

"Our men down there are surrounded by ten thousand British soldiers!" The man protested.

"8,400! 16,000 are pulling out for Jerusalem tomorrow," Ari said, his voice betraying his frayed patience.

"Acre isn't just a prison. It's a fortress. It hasn't been successfully attacked since the Crusades," the leader said arrogantly.

"There is a first time for everything, isn't there?" Hadassah asked.

"She's right. There is," Ari said absently.

"Not this time. We're not as dense as your brat over there. He picks a place in the middle of an Arab city, surrounded by the whole British army, and says to us go fight," Burly man scoffed.

"Why not? King David fought against Goliath off Gath with five stones, a stick, and a slingshot and King David's friend, Jonathan and Jonathan's armor-bearer went up against a Philistine garrison and killed over a hundred men," Hadassah said.

"We're not King David or Jonathan. Napoleon bombarded it for 61 days," Joel protested.

"Napoleon didn't have 93 men inside. You have," Ari snapped.

"What about the 400 Arabs in that prison?" Joel asked.

"We waste Irgun blood to free Arabs?" The burly man asked.

"Why not? The British would concern themselves with 400 men and not the members of the Haganah and Irgun," Hadassah said. Ari smiled briefly and cupped her face gently.

"She's right. If you turn 400 Arabs loose they are going to run in 400 different directions. Each one will have a detachment of British soldiers on his tale," Ari said with a note of finality.

"I will not listen. I do not trust anyone from the Haganah. And I don't listen to 14-year-old girls, whose father should teach her better respect for her elders," the burly man sneered.

"I asked my daughter to come here. She came up with this idea to avoid bloodshed and I liked how it sounded," Ari said, defending her.

"If we can't trust each other there'll be no Israel!" David said, with a stubborn look in his eyes. "Even if Partition is voted." David turned and Ari clapped his shoulder.

"Akiva is ben Canaan's own blood. This is no trap. How many members of the Irgun does your plan call for?" The leader asked, stepping forward.

26, divided into four attack groups and Dov Landau," Hadassah said.

"What do you want with Dov Landau?" The leader asked confused.

"Akiva's execution is six days away. We'll have to get a man inside Acre Prison by tomorrow night. Landau must surrender immediately," Ari said firmly.

"He'll be sentenced to death," the leader said in shock.

"Akiva is your uncle. Why don't you surrender?" The burly man asked belligerently.

"Because Landau will be sentenced within a few hours of his capture and sent directly to Acre. It would take weeks for me or anyone else. It must be Landau," Ari said, his voice getting high with tension and then softening as he looked at Hadassah. Hadassah was willing to bet that he gentled his voice in an attempt not to frighten her.

"If we can agree on a plan, and if Dov is necessary, and if we can find him, I will give him the choice. But I will not order him to do it," the leader finally agreed. "Please, tell us what you and the young one have in mind."

Ari and Hadassah came over and Ari sat down, pulling a paper out of his robe. "The stars are British command posts. The numbers are outside detachments. The letters are inside groups. There is a Turkish bath house that is joined to the outside wall," Ari said, pointing to each on the map.

"I know it! I was arrested and put into prison there too!" Joel said excitedly.

"I'll take the men of the first detachment. You'll occupy the bath house under the roof and dynamite the prison wall here," Ari pointed at a spot on the map. "Inside groups will move against the yard and the cell gate."

"With what?" The burly man asked.

"Anything we can smuggle into them; dynamite, gun powder, grenades. Now we move simultaneously from the outside and from the inside," Ari said and laid out the rest of the plan.

* * *

Halfway through the planning Joshua came into the room, followed by Dov Landau. Dov looked nervous until he noticed Hadassah. "You're Hadassah ben Canaan. Karen's friend," Dov said softly.

"Correct. You should write or call her, Dov. She's been worried about you," Hadassah said.

"Karen doesn't understand and neither do you. I saw you and your Christian friends. All any of you did was pray to the one the Nazis accused us of killing," Dov said bitterly.

"Don't blame Yeshua for that. It's not His fault that the Nazis missed the point entirely when it came to His death. And also, not every Christian was in agreement with Hitler. A Christian family took care of me and my family when I was in hiding during the war. They were members of my grandfather's synagogue and they thought it was wrong for us to be persecuted," Hadassah said sadly.

"Whatever happened to them?" Joshua wanted to know.

"I don't know. I lost track of them after we were sent to Auschwitz and they were sent from Westerbork to the Amersfoort concentration camp. I've often prayed that Yeshua would spare their lives and they wouldn't suffer because of me and my family," Hadassah said in a low voice.

"Didn't you look into these people after the war?" David asked in confusion.

"I was recovering from typhus, multiple injuries, and malnutrition after the war. I was sent to England and the British told me that unless it was family I couldn't. It was through the Red Cross that I found out about my mother, grandfather, and uncle dying at Auschwitz. I later heard about my aunt and grandmother dying in the crematoriums at Mauthausen and Dachau. I also didn't think much about the family that protected me because I was recovering," Hadassah said, feeling shame at the thought.

"You were in the death camps?" Joel asked.

"Yes. I was ten years old at the time I was arrested and I have a tattoo on my forearm from Auschwitz. I was then sent to Terezin where they beat me with billy clubs and whips on my feet, back, and legs. At Bergin Belsen I contracted typhus while I was starving to death. The Nazis refused to give us food, water, and medicine and I almost died," Hadassah said. Ari started, his eyes full of anger and unshed tears. She had only told him bits and pieces of her time in the death camps.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Ari asked tightly.

"It's like my Nazi tattoo, Papa. I don't want to remember it. Did you want me to paint you a picture? I've already said more than I should have," Hadassah said limply as she sat down on a crate and covered her head with her arms.

"What is she doing?" David asked, perplexed.

"She thinks someone's going to hit her. Probably you, Mr. ben Canaan. I was on the receiving end of a lot of beatings in the death camps and that's what I did when I was being beaten," Dov volunteered.

Ari stooped in front of her and pulled her hands from her head and raised her chin slightly. She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "Ari, I'm sorry," David whispered.

Ari nodded and gently pulled her into his arms. "I want to see you smile again. I remember your smile. It was bright like a Chanukah menorah or the candles at Shabbat. Your mother would also say it was like a Christmas tree. Your whole face would light up and it would move into your eyes," Ari said softly into her hair.

"You may never see that smile, ben Canaan. That was when she was a child and her biggest worry was what gift she'd receive for Chanukah. She is no longer a child. She grew up before her time," the leader of the Irgun said sympathetically.

"All of us grew up before our time, Mr. ben Canaan. My father said that was dangerous when it happens. We often lose something and it's hard to get it back. He said it was childlike trust and innocence," Joshua agreed.

"Dov, we need your help. Could you get yourself arrested and sent to Acre prison?" Hadassah asked, changing the subject abruptly as she wiped her face with the sleeve of her robe and stood up.

"Probably. Is there a reason why I should?" Dov asked suspiciously.

"Karen once told me that you were a demolitions expert in the Warsaw Ghetto and that you were part of the Warsaw Uprising in Poland. We also need you to tell Uncle Akiva and Joseph ben Aaron that help is coming,"Hadassah explained.

"Akiva's your uncle?" Dov asked.

"Great-uncle. You work for the Irgun and never knew his last name was the same as mine? Well now you know it," Hadassah said as Ari touched the back of her head.

"Then if he's your uncle why doesn't your father do it?" Joshua asked impatiently.

"It'd take months for Papa to get convicted. It'd take a new arrival and a demolitions expert from Warsaw to get in, and maybe, blow that British concentration camp off the map," Hadassah said just as impatiently.

"She has a point. I guess I'll do it as long as any of you don't forget and accidentally leave me there," Dov said nervously.

"You won't get left there, Dov. We'll get you out.. You attach the fuses on the inside and we'll do the outside," Joshua said.

"All right," Dov said heavily.

"Thank you, Dov. I'll pray that Yeshua protects you as you walk through the gates of hell," Hadassah said gratefully.

"But I don't believe in Yeshua!" Dov protested.

"It doesn't matter. My grandfather would say that he believes in you," Hadassah said firmly.

"Hadassah, we'd better go. I told your grandparents that we'd be back for dinner and you start lessons in Hebrew tomorrow at Gan Dafna," Ari entered the conversation.

"Hebrew lessons? You're Jewish and you can't speak Hebrew?" Joshua asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I knew the language once. I haven't used it since I was ten and my knowledge ran out, except for a few words in Hebrew and Yiddish. Now Papa and Grandfather insist I relearn the language. I did learn Dutch pretty quick and English after the war ended. Maybe Hebrew will be no exception," Hadassah said, wondering if she was trying to convince herself or others.


	17. Prison Break and Hurtful Words

Chapter 17- Prison Break and Hurtful Words

Two days later Hadassah stood in front of a mirror in Yehudit's bedroom and deftly wrapped a gauze bandage around her tattooed arm. This was the day that Ari, the Irgun, and the Haganah had decided to attack Acre prison.

Ari hadn't the slightest idea that Hadassah, and five members of the young Jewish Christians that had been on the _Exodus,_ were going along as well to make sure that everyone got out and no one- Jewish, Arab, or British- got killed in the cross hairs needlessly.

Joseph had managed to find uniforms for British Privates and hence the reasons why Hadassah covered her left arm with the bandage. The sleeve of the shirt didn't even cover her forearm and Hadassah didn't want to explain why she had a string of numbers and one letter across her arm. The British would figure she was Jewish that way.

Ari and Barak would not approve of what Hadassah was doing. Joshua had even said that it was not a good idea, but Hadassah had put her foot down and said that if a man could do a jail break, then so could she.

Hadassah picked up her hat, cover as someone else called it, and carefully slipped out of the bungalow Yehudit shared with Karen and Edna and hitchhiked to Abu Yesha. She slipped soundlessly into a room where Joshua was handing out handguns.

"Are those really necessary?" Hadassah swallowed hard as Joshua and Peter Meyer, an American Jew, handed weapons to her and Yehudit. Apparently they didn't have a problem with Jewish Christians holding guns.

"If we are posing as soldiers we have to hold them. We'll just get rid of them when we are done," Joshua explained patiently as if Hadassah were four instead of fourteen.

"I guess so, but this has got to be the craziest thing I've ever done. Even if we get into the prison what if we're recognized as two Jewish girls and four Jewish boys?" Yehudit fretted.

"Yeshua will watch over us as He did in the camps," Joshua said resolutely.

"Also, how are we going to get in? Hadassah and Benjamin are the only two of us with British accents. I'm from Poland and the rest of you have German and Scandinavian accents; except for Hadassah, Benjamin, and Peter," Yehudit complained.

"Well, I guess Benjamin and Hadassah will have to do all the talking. You two don't mind since you're the only British-sounding Jews, right?" Joshua asked.

Hadassah looked at Benjamin who shrugged. "Not at all. I guess we are the logical choice since Peter's Americanized accent will give him away if he tries. I just hope no one asks all of us to talk," Hadassah said in a grim voice.

They went to a parked lorry and Benjamin and Hadassah got into the front seat. "God be with us," Benjamin said softly as he started the engine.

"Omaine," Hadassah agreed as Benjamin drove at breakneck speed to Acre Prison.

* * *

It was duller and quieter than tombs in the gates of Acre Prison. A lone guard stood sentry as Hadassah and Benjamin showed the fake identity cards to him and he ushered them in brusquely; a military trait that Hadassah noticed was among the British.

A group of Arabs, wearing robes and keffiyahs, stood there. Hadassah froze as she recognized David ben Ami, Joel, and her father. At the moment Ari thought she was safe and on her way to Hebrew lessons at Gan Dafna.

* * *

Ari looked toward the lorry they were in and nearly started as the six of them got out and came toward the group. From the sentries' position it would look like some British soldiers were questioning a group of Arabs. His eyes turned hard as he looked straight at Hadassah. Apparently he recognized her in spite of her cover and British uniform. "What are you doing here, Hadassah?" Ari whispered sharply as soon as she was withing earshot.

"Papa, shhhh! You're going to give me away!" Hadassah hissed just as sharply.

"You are not even supposed to be here, girl!" Joel snapped.

"We're here to make sure the Irgun doesn't kill everyone in Palestine. I still think we made a deal with the devil," Joshua said in harsh German. It definitely wasn't the Dutch German Hadassah grew up with. It sounded dangerously like what you'd expect from a coarse sailor on the docks. Joshua was from Munich so his German was different from Hadassah's.

"My grandfather did say that the devil does collect when we do that," Hadassah knawed her lower lip as the square got quiet.

"We are going to talk about this when we get home," Ari said stiffly. Hadassah didn't doubt that he would, but it hurt to see her father so angry with her.

"I'm sorry, Papa," Hadassah said softly.

"Don't say a word to me. Until this is over you are not allowed to talk to me," Ari said harshly as he looked toward the gate.

"If you wish," Hadassah said just as harshly as one of the men tucked dynamite and a fuse in his robe. Ari joined a couple of the men as they put a fuse in the street in front of the prison.

One of the men and Ari got into a Volkswagen. Ari pinned her with a look and motioned her to the car. "I thought he wasn't talking to you until this was over," Joshua said in surprise.

"That was what he said. I guess he changed his mind," Hadassah said, going to the car.

"Get in. If you can't use common sense and leave, you're staying in this car where I know where you are," Ari said stonily.

"I guess so, but I can't leave. I have to get Joseph out. I have to try. I have to do what you didn't do for Mama," Hadassah said, using a very poor choice of words.

Ari's face turned red as he opened the door, grabbed her by the wrists, and pulled her into the car.\

* * *

Ari couldn't believe those words had just come out of his daughter's mouth. She blamed him for not getting her mother out? This was the first she had said anything that cruel. It was as if she had hit him between the eyes.

"How dare you? I loved your mother. I tried to get the two of you out. I never thought she'd be murdered and I'd have to smuggle you into my country," Ari said tightly.

"How dare you? My mother wanted you when we were arrested. Her last words to me were about you. You could have tried harder," Hadassah said bitterly.

Ari grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Let's get one thing straight. I did try to get your mother out. I loved your mother. I am your father and you are never to talk like this to me again. Understand?" Ari asked.

"Fine. Whatever you say, Captain," Hadassah said, putting extra sarcasm on his former British rank as the Irgun driver stopped the car.

"I don't have time to discuss this with a sulky child. But we will talk later," Ari said sternly.

"Looks awfully quiet out there. I guess the British don't think we're going to try anything. We're just one member each of the Haganah, Irgun, and Young Haganah. And since I'm wearing a British uniform maybe they think I'm British," Hadassah said, changing the subject as she and Ari got out of the car.

"Quite possibly," Ari said, looking at his watch and showing it to the driver. The truck with some of the others of the Haganah and Irgun came through the gate. The driver handed Ari a gun, which he hid in his robes.

* * *

Joshua stood next to Hadassah and Yehudit. "We'll have to use the sewers and connect the bomb to these wires," Peter explained pulling out wires and handing them to Hadassah.

"All right. Me and Yehudit will do it. All of you go with them," Hadassah said as Peter opened the sewer cover. The two girls ducked under the ground, the sewer smell hitting Hadassah in the face like a wallop.

"Ugh! This is worse than jumping into the latrine or midden at Auschwitz naked," Yehudit said, making a face.

"Don't I know it. I did the same thing too, but let's not think about that. We have to get to the wall that Dov is bombing and connect the wires," Hadassah said as her boots nearly sunk in the foul-smelling mud.

A loud rifle blast nearly jolted both of them. "Come on, Yehudit. We have to hurry!" Hadassah said sharply and both of them picked up the pace.

* * *

Ari made it to the outer wall and waited the time away until the fuses arrived. The way Joshua described it Hadassah and her friend, Yehudit, had the wires and were exiting from the sewers that ran under the prison.

Ari nearly started as a grate in the ground moved with a rusty, scraping sound and two figures came out of the ground.

Through the dirt and grime on her face, Ari recognized Hadassah as she pulled the fuses up to the wall and began to connect the wires.

"Hurry, Hadassah! Hurry!" Yehudit screamed.

"I'm trying! Oh, blast!" Hadassah exclaimed, using slang that Ari didn't even know that she knew.

"What's wrong?" Yehudit asked, gnawing her lip.

"the wire broke. I'll try to twist it and connect it to the other fuses. You and Papa better stand back. This is going to be a bigger mess than the Invasion of Normandy beach," Hadassah said, making a final connection and setting the timer before stepping back herself.

Ari touched the back of her neck gently. She may have been angry at him and he may have been angry at her for disobedience and a lack of common sense, but at this moment the argument they had in the car was forgotten by him. Apparently she had forgotten too. Her eyes were on the wall, biting her lower lip.


	18. Akiva's Death and Running to Gan Dafna

Chapter 18- Akiva's Death and Running to Gan Dafna

The wall exploded with a loud bang. Ari, Yehudit, Hadassah, and Ari's driver ran to the wall as men came pouring out of the huge gap the bomb had made.

Ari held Hadasssah's hand in one hand and helped Akiva down some stone steps. "Yehudit! Where's Joseph?" Hadassah called out between coughs. The air was full of smoke and dust and her lungs felt as if they were on fire and tightening painfully at the same time.

"I don't know! I can't see through the smoke, Hadassah!" Yehudit yelled back.

They made it through the smoke and prison without anybody stopping them. Ari's car was still there and Ari, Joel, Akiva, and Hadassah got in and Joel drove at breakneck speed.

Hadassah wheezed hard. "I can't believe we're still alive!" Hadassah said, causing Ari to turn in his seat.

"Hadassah, are you all right?" Ari asked, concern in his eyes.

"I think so. I can't breathe, but I just need to slow down my breathing before it turns into one of my asthma attacks!" Hadassah said, running her hand through her chin-length hair.

"You have asthma attacks?" Joel asked, a look of shock on his face.

"What of it? I've had it since the British liberated the concentration camp I was in four years ago. I don't let it stop me from helping my friends," Hadassah said, feeling the tightness in her lungs ease.

"You did very well, Child. Even in spite of this," Akiva said proudly.

"Just don't ask me to do it again. This one time was enough to jar my nerves completely," Hadassah said, looking out the windshield cautiously.

"Let's see what they're saying," Joel said, turning up the radio.

"Our last count is 15 dead and 25 prisoners still at large; including all of the condemned terrorists. A search is now being conducted across Palestine to find the prisoners. A 10:00 curfew has been proclaimed for Jews. Standby for further news," the radio blared.

"10:00 curfew? Sounds like Nazi-occupied Holland. The only difference is that I like 10 better than 8 and they won't arrest a Jew who's in their garden," Hadassah said, carefully removing the gauze bandage covering her Nazi identification number and throwing it in the floorboard.

Hadassah gasped as a huge roadblock came into view. "Get down," Ari ordered both Akiva and Hadassah as he loaded his gun.

"Joel, take my gun. You can handle a gun and drive, right?" Hadassah asked, taking her handgun from her leather belt and handing it to Joel.

"Yes. I'm a little surprised. With all your talk about honoring God and being a Christian you're still going to let me have your gun?" Joel asked, laying the gun on the dash.

"I'm more surprised that I actually agreed to wear that thing. It goes against every belief my grandfather lectured me with, but Joshua said no one would buy that I was a soldier in the British army if I didn't wear it or put a bandage over my Nazi prison number," Hadassah said, keeping her eyes on the barricade.

Hadassah grabbed a huge handful of Ari's beige shirt as Joel increased the speed. Ari looked back at her briefly and touched her face gently with his large, rough hand. It was as if her father was trying to tell her, without words, that they'd be all right and get through. Joel slowed as if to talk to the sentries and he increased the speed again, scraping against the side of a jeep.

The sound of bullets hit the car, shattering glass. "Papa, they're shooting at us! Hadassah screamed, digging her fingernails into Ari's shoulder and ducking down as a bullet pinged off the car.

Akiva gave a loud gasp of pain. "Akiva, are you hit? Joel asked as Ari turned on his knees to face Akiva.

"It looks as if it's in the lung," Ari said as he and Hadassah helped Akiva lean his arms over the front seats.

"Do you want me to slow down?" Joel asked.

"No. You must go faster," Akiva ground out.

"Turn off the road," Ari said as Akiva fell into the backseat. Joel pulled the car into a grove of trees and the sirens faded in the distance. Joel parked the car and Ari got out and into the backseat.

"Hadassah, are you all right? You're not hit?" Ari asked, breathing hard.

Hadassah noticed Ari's hand on his back and blood on his fingers. It took a second for her to see that Ari had been shot like Akiva had been.

"Papa, you're bleeding!" Hadassah exclaimed in shock, evading her father's question.

"I'm all right, Hadassah," Ari said as he went to Akiva and held his uncle in his arms. Hadassah made the sign of the Cross as she noticed the gray pallor of Akiva's skin; a sure sign that death was near. She had seen it a million times in the death camps and would probably see it again.

"You are brave, my nephew's daughter," Akiva said, squeezing Hadassah's fingers gently.

"Thank you, Uncle Akiva, but I'm not brave. If I was I wouldn't have been in the death camps," Hadassah said sadly.

"You did survive," Akiva said weakly.

"Are you bleeding bad?" Ari asked, looking at the bullet wound in Akiva's chest. Akiva nodded with a faint smile.

"Mortal wounds give no pain. I'm already occupied with dying. I just wish this young one didn't have to see another death. She looks as if she has seen people die too much," Akiva said dryly.

"Not for a long time, Uncle Akiva," Ari said sadly.

"In this fatal optimism, you're Haganah! In methodology you are Irgun. But in the heart you and your daughter are Israel. Kiss Barak for me," Akiva closed his eyes and was gone. Hadassah made the sign of the Cross again as Ari lowered his head in grief. Ari looked up, his blue eyes fierce with unshed tears and determination.

"We must get out of here before they come back!" Ari snapped sharply as he lowered Akiva onto the backseat. Taking Hadassah's hand they left the car.

"Are you hurt badly?" Joel asked in concern.

"I'm all right. Give me your handkerchief," Ari ordered as Joel removed the Arab robe he had thrown on over his clothes. Ari took his handkerchief and Joel's, and untucking his shirt, pressed them against his back. "Get to Jerusalem's old city quarter. Me and Hadassah can get to Gan Dafna from here."

"Are you sure?" Joel asked skeptically.

"I'm sure. Shalom," Ari said, giving him his gun.

"Shalom to the both of you," Joel said as he left.

"Where are we, Papa?" Hadassah asked, looking around.

"About two miles from Gan Dafna if we go that way," Ari pointed in a direction as he went to the backseat.

"Papa, have you ever walked two miles in any direction?" Hadassah asked nervously.

"Once or twice in Africa. Have you?" Ari asked.

Three times. Wait! Make that four times. The Nazis seemed to like exhausting us while we marched to the death camps. Each place was either 1, 2, or 3 miles," Hadassah said, watching Ari tear up as he looked at Akiva.

"A bulletin; 32 Jewish residents of the village Abu Seir have been arrested for alleged complicity in today's prison revolt at Acre. Stand by for reports," the radio blared.

"God be with them. They only wanted to help the Haganah and Irgun out of that place," Hadassah muttered as she made the sign of the Cross.

"Shalom, Uncle Akiva. Come, Kichel. We'd better go," Ari stood weakly to his feet; Hadassah following suit.

"Papa, are you sure you can make it? You're hurt," Hadassah said as he closed the car door and stumbled away.

"Yes. You just follow me. Your Aunt Jordana will conceal us and Dr. Liebermann can help me," Ari said, his voice a little sluggish.

Hadassah looked at him in alarm. His blue eyes had become like mirror glass and filled with pain and he also walked unsteadily like a drunken man. Hadassah wrapped her arm around Ari's waist. He looked down at her and gently stroked her hair and face. "I'll make it, Hadassah." Ari said.

"I'm just making sure you do, Papa. Mama would take me to task if I let you die here," Hadassah said cryptically as they walked slowly to Gan Dafna.

* * *

Ari felt as if he were weakening with each minute as they walked. "Yeshua, my daughter believes in you. If you exist don't let her watch me die," Ari prayed in a whisper that Hadassah couldn't hear.

They made it up the rise as black spots starting dancing in front of Ari's vision. "There it is, Papa! Gan Dafna!" Hadassah said, showing more excitement than Ari had ever seen her show since he had found her.

With a groan, Ari fell in a heap. "Papa!" Hadassah exclaimed, gripping Ari's hand as she fell to her knees beside him.

"You have to go ahead, kichel. Get Dr. Liebermann. Taha will probably be there too. They can come back for me," Ari said, smoothing her face gently. Her tears trickled onto his fingers.

"I can't," Hadassah whimpered softly.

"I'll be fine. Just go," Ari groaned as he succumbed to darkness.


	19. The Concealing and the Close Call

Chapter 19- The Concealing and the Close Call

Hadassah watched as Ari passed out entirely Hadassah didn't want to leave him, but Ari was bleeding to death in front of her in the dried blood on her shirt was any indication of his condition.

Hadassah blinked hard and stood up without looking back as she ran all the way to Gan Dafna, collapsing by the statue of Dafna.

She breathed hard as she felt a cup of water at her lips. " Hadassah?" Kitty's voice broke into her thoughts. Concern was in her eyes as she stood behind Jordana and Dr. Liebermann who held the cup to her mouth. Hadassah also noticed Taha, standing next to his sons.

"Help... Papa... shot," Hadassah said, her breath coming out in short, harsh gasps.

"What happened?" Jordana asked sharply.

"Papa, was shot helping Uncle Akiva. He collapsed half a mile from here. He sent me to bring help," Hadassah said, feeling her chest hurt as she started wheezing slightly.

"Let's go get Ari," Taha said resolutely.

"I'm...I'm...coming...with you. You don't know the way," Hadassah said, starting to cough.

"I don't think you should, Hadassah. You sound awful," Dr. Liebermann said, raising his eyebrows.

"We don't have time to argue. Every minute we waste the British might find him or he could die losing blood," Hadassah said weakly.

The two men shrugged and followed Hadassah to the car that Liebermann and Jordana used for the kibbutz.

* * *

Hadassah stood outside the operating room as Kitty and Dr. Liebermann operated on Ari. They had found Ari right where Hadassah had left him and very weak.

"Hadassah, I'm sure he'll be all right," Karen said optimistically as she walked by the bench where Hadassah sat, gnawing on her lower lip.

"I keep praying for it. I said some things to him I shouldn't have and I just don't want him to die before I tell him that I'm sorry," Hadassah said somberly.

"I'm sure he knows. You're fortunate you still have your father," Karen said.

"Karen, your father's still alive," Hadassah said in confusion.

"He doesn't know who I am though. Your father wasn't tortured and he remembers you enough to love you. My father will never remember me enough to love me like yours does," Karen said sadly as Jordana came out in a hurry.

"Aunt Jordana, my father?" Hadassah asked, biting the inside of her mouth.

"He's still in surgery, Hadassah. There was a search party that just turned the farm upside down. Mama just telephoned. They must be coming here next. Mama said they were looking for you and your father," Jordana said consolingly.

"Why?" Hadassah wanted to know.

"They recognized your father and someone saw you blow up the wall at Acre Prison," Jordana said as Hadassah paled.

"What do we do next?" Hadassah asked faintly.

"We must get you and your father out of here. Your father's right lung could be punctured or so Dr. Liebermann says. Then he'll hemorrhage and bleed to death if we tried to move him," Jordana said sadly.

"Isn't there any way we could sedate him where Papa won't move around and cause that to happen?" Hadassah asked, feeling like she was grasping at straws.

"What about the ruts in the road? If one gets hit it could shake him," Jordana said practically.

"I think we need to take that chance. Papa wouldn't want to be killed by the British any more than I wanted to arrested by the Nazis and forced into the death camps. If we keep him here he could die by their hands," Hadassah said just as practically.

* * *

Hadassah and Kitty watched as Taha and two Arabs took Ari off the top of his truck. It was sheer genius to bring Ari to Abu Yesha. The British wouldn't think to look for two Jews in an Arab Muhktar's house. There was a lot of bad blood between the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael, but apparently Taha didn't think of that as he put Ari in a guest room, Hadassah and Kitty following.

The view from Taha's house was breathtaking, but Hadassah only had time to give Mount Tabor a brief glance. Hadassah walked into the bedroom where they had placed Ari. Ari was in bed with a cool compress on his head and he sat up.

"Steady," Kitty pressed her hand firmly to his forehead and Hadassah pressed Ari's large hand to her lips.

"What's wrong?" Ari asked in a surprisingly clear voice.

"Nothing's wrong, but you must lie still," Kitty said, putting her hand firmly to his chest.

Ari looked at Hadassah and smiled at her before drifting off to sleep. Hadassah sighed deeply. "Well, that was a crisis averted," Hadassah said, kissing her father's rough, calloused hand gently.

"Indeed it was. I guess now you can finish the surgery and you can take a bath and my servants will feed you, Hadassah ben Canaan," Taha said, motioning to an elderly servant woman, that had come into the room, over to Hadassah.

"I'm not really used to being waited on," Hadassah said, feeling her face heat with embarrassment.

"It's no trouble at all. You are my friend's daughter. I promised your father a long time ago that I would protect you as if you were my own as your father and grandfather protected me when my father died. It doesn't matter to me that you are Jewish. You are still Ari's daughter and I promised. Sarai, take Hadassah ben Canaan to the bathing room for the women and girls and feed her. Also she is the size of my sister's daughter, so go to Talia and see if she has a dress she can wear while you clean her clothes," Taha ordered.

The old woman bowed briefly. "Of course. Come with me, young mistress," Sarai said submissively.

Sarai led Hadassah to a room downstairs and across a courtyard to another room that resembled a Turkish bath. "This is the mikveh for the women and girls. We take our baths early in the morning before prayers. I will be back with a dress. Here is your soap and towel," Sarai said as she opened a door and walked out.

* * *

Hadassah stepped into the steam-covered room. It was heated and a strong smell of perfume and oil filled the room. Hadassah felt a little sleepy at the smell as she took her bath and the oil and lavender soothed her aching muscles and tired nerves.

After the bath and dressing in the clean Arab dress Sarai had brought, Sarai attempted to dry her hair with a thick, plush towel, complaining of the short-cut style of Hadassah's hair.

"Is it common now for Jewish girls to cut their hair this short?" Sarai asked, giving up on trying to dry Hadassah's hair.

"A lot of us had haircuts forced on us in the death camps during the war in Europe. I got used to short hair and kept it chin-length," Hadassah said ruefully.

"I have a feeling your father didn't like it when he saw it," Sarai said, picking up a fine-tooth comb and running it through Hadassah's hair.

"No he didn't. He didn't say anything, but he didn't have to," Hadassah said as she followed Sarai to a dining room that had flowers painted on mosaic tiles.

"That sounds like your father. He never had to say when he was upset," Sarai said with a laugh.

Hadassah sat down and looked at the food on the table. "The fruit looks good, but is the meat okay since I can't eat certain foods?" Hadassah hesitated as she took some fruit and goat's cheese with chives.

"It's lamb's meat. You are a Jew, but the Arabs also descend from Abraham and much of your Kashrut laws are ours as well. Except maybe the goat's cheese and meat," Sarai said as Hadassah started to eat as if starved.

* * *

Ari's condition didn't improve. By the third day his fever had gotten dangerously high, in spite of the fact that Kitty had gotten the bullet out and the prayers Hadassah was offering God on her knees beside Ari's bedside.

He had woken up one more time and was completely delirious as he didn't recognize Hadassah who was sitting in front of him and holding his clammy hand. It was the evening of the third day in late November. Kitty had just opened the wounds to let out the infection when Taha came in. Hadassah stood to her feet, wiping her sweaty forehead with her the sleeve of her blouse.

"They found weapons in Gan Dafna. Here's your medicine. They have no plasma. How is he?" Taha asked, concerned.

"I opened the wound. He didn't even recognize his daughter when he woke up an hour ago. It's draining," Kitty said, filling a syringe with medicine.

"Will he live?" Taha asked.

"I don't know. His temperature's 102 and he's unconscious right now. And like I said, he didn't even recognize his own daughter sitting in front of him and holding his hand. If it goes down, the infection can be held in check. If not it could spread into the chest cavity," Kitty said as Taha paced.

"When the Syrian Arabs murdered my father and his son was lost, Ari's father saved my life and my heritage. That's when I promised and your father, Hadassah, promised that I'd protect his family and he'd protect mine," Taha said conversationally.

"My father would be happy you kept your word, Taha. My grandfather in Holland used to say that good friends are worth their weight in gold," Hadassah said with a brief smile.

"Your grandfather sounds like a wise man," Taha said with a smile.

"He was a good man. I learned a lot of lessons from him growing up on his watchmaker's bench. I also remember at night when he used to read to us from the Torah and then go into the life of Yeshua Christ. It was moments like that I felt as if he was one of the first Jewish men ever born. I thought he knew everything. It wasn't fair or right that he was murdered," Hadassah said, tears coming to her eyes.

"It rarely ever is that a good, innocent man has to die, Hadassah," Kitty said, grabbing Ari's wrist and taking his pulse as he breathed hard.

"Your father and I used to live together on your grandfather's farm," Taha said sadly as he watched Ari breathe heavily.

"I remember Grandfather said that the day I arrived at Gan Dafna off the _Exodus_. I said to my friend, Karen, that you had to be a good man if they took you in," Hadassah said as Ari's breathing slowed.

"We shared the same room. He thought of me as his younger brother since he didn't have a brother. To me, his house was life itself. Now to think that my house may become his tomb," Taha said grimly as he looked at Kitty.

Kitty started, a look of alarm on her face. "I can't feel his pulse," Kitty said in a hushed voice as she turned Ari on his back and rushed to her nurse's kit. She filled a huge syringe full of medicine, and cleaning a spot on Ari's chest injected him with the medicine.

Hadassah watched with a bated breath as Kitty withdrew the needle and bandaged the spot on his chest. Kitty then listened to Ari's heart through the stethoscope around her neck. Hadassah made the sign of the Cross as they waited.

Kitty then smiled, her eyes full of tears. "Hadassah, he's alive!" Kitty exclaimed in a broken voice.

"Is he going to stay alive?" Hadassah asked, gripping her father's limp left hand tightly and pressing it to her lips.

"Do you...seriously think I would leave you?" Ari asked weakly as he opened his eyes and looked at Hadassah, his eyes clear from the fever.

"Papa!" Hadassah cried, her tears running down her cheeks and onto his hand. She felt his hand stroke her face and go through her hair, weakly, but gently.


	20. Recovery and the Radio Broadcast

Chapter 20- Recovery and The Radio Broadcast

Ari felt his strength slowly return over the next few weeks as Kitty nursed him back to health. Hadassah was also there as well, but she would help Taha's Arab servants clean Taha's home or cook meals for Ari. Sarai and Taha were full of praise when they talked about Hadassah's work ethic. She was neat as a pin and always found and finished the job before someone said anything. She also proved to be an excellent cook who knew the kashrut diet as well as any Jewish mother.

Hadassah came into Ari's room around the end of November, with a tray of food, heaped with enough food to topple a city. "I've brought you food, Papa," Hadassah said, putting the food down with a slight wheeze. Sometimes Ari forgot his daughter still had asthma. She didn't let it slow her down, but when he heard the wheezing his father's instincts kicked in.

"I can see that. You and your mother both are alike in that regard. She seemed to think I needed to engorge myself to get well when I was sick," Ari said smiling as she kissed his cheek.

"Mama was just that way. When we were in hiding she thought I was the one who needed food more than anyone else since I was only eight years old when we went into hiding," Hadassah said as Ari grabbed his wine glass. Taha didn't drink as Muslim law forbade it, but Taha always kept a little for his Jewish friends when they visited.

"Well, I think she was right in that case. Why don't you help me eat some of this?" Ari asked. Hadassah grabbed some cheese and fruit.

"Papa, are you going to be all right?" Hadassah asked as she grabbed a piece of lamb.

"Of course I am. Were you afraid?" Ari asked, looking into Hadassah's eyes.

"A little bit. I was so scared I thought you were going to die," Hadassah said with a watery smile.

"Well, as you can see I'm all right, thanks to you," Ari said, squeezing her hand gently. Ari noticed then that he had grabbed the hand with the tattooed number on the forearm. He saw the last two digits. Kitty hadn't removed the number yet as it was still there.

"Well you did tell me to go to Gan Dafna and get help. It was a godsend that Taha and Dr. Liebermann were both there," Hadassah said.

"Yes, I'm glad you obeyed me. I'm still upset that you went to Acre Prison, but since you were trying to help I can't bring myself to punish you for it. Just don't do it again," Ari said, cupping her face gently. Hadassah buried her face in his hand, kissing the palm.

"I don't plan to. I am sorry though for what I said about how you didn't try to save Mama. I didn't mean what I said," Hadassah said contritely.

"Hadassah, I know you didn't, but be honest. You wouldn't have said it if you hadn't of thought it. You do blame me, right?" Ari asked, stroking her face gently.

Hadassah hesitated slightly. You won't be mad if I tell you?" Hadassah asked nervously as she evaded the question.

"No. I'll only be upset if you lie to me," Ari said.

"All right. I did blame you. I was dying in Terezin and some Nazi had just beaten me to within an inch of my life and I said it was all your fault that it happened. I felt as if only you had gotten us out when you promised I wouldn't be laying on a dirty straw-covered ground and bleeding from the whippings," Hadassah said raggedly.

"I did try, my child. They wouldn't let me back into Czechoslovakia and when Holland was invaded I was told by the British that a Palestinian Jew had better sense than to go into Nazi-occupied Holland to get his wife and daughter. The told me that Hitler wouldn't care that I was a citizen of Palestine. That he would send me to the death camps just because I am a Jew. I was then sent to Africa, Lebanon, and Syria for the rest of the war," Ari said.

"Oh. Mama did get your letters, but you could tell the Nazis censored every single one," Hadassah said as tears filled her eyes.

Kitty came in then. "So, how's the patient doing?" Kitty teased as she removed her stethoscope and thermometer.

"He has a healthy appetite. Which is more than I could say for myself when the war ended and the concentration camp I was in was liberated," Hadassah said dryly.

"I think we can say you don't have much of one now," Ari said with a smile.

"I don't deny it. There are a few things I don't eat or drink among our own people, but maybe my taste will change," Hadassah said ruefully.

"What don't you like to drink?" Kitty asked.

"Wine. I can't stand the taste of it as it's bitter," Hadassah said, making a face.

"You're old enough for wine?" Kitty asked.

"Jewish children learn to drink when we're young. I had my first glass when I was 9 years old. It was watered wine, and for the Pesach, but I hated the taste. My grandfather insisted that I drink it," Hadassah said, grabbing a piece of fruit.

"I didn't know that Jewish children drank so early in life," Kitty said.

"Jewish children have done so since the dawn of time or since Mosheh the Lawgiver gave us the laws and holidays. Pesach was the first holiday that I ever drank and we have to drink, Lord knows, how many toasts," Hadassah said, rolling her eyes.

"Pesach?" Kitty asked.

"Loosely translated; Passover," Hadassah said flatly.

"Oh. When the Angel of death passed over the Hebrew firstborn because the slaves put blood on their door posts in Egypt," Kitty said, taking Ari's blood pressure and taking his temperature.

"Good for you. You know that much of our history. And you remember the word in Hebrew?" Ari asked, squeezing Hadassah's hand gently.

"I do remember a few, but I won't be able to hold conversations in Hebrew. Most of my knowledge burned up in the gas chambers at Auschwitz with my mother and the others who died there. I can't even read Hebrew any more," Hadassah said, her eyes glassy with unshed tears.

* * *

It was the end of November when Ari was able to get up. Hadassah had come in one morning and Ari had taken a bath, shaved, and had changed out of his pajamas and into some clean clothes that Kitty had brought from Barak's farm.

Kitty, Hadassah, Ari, and Taha sat in front of the radio the night of November 29th, 1947 as Taha adjusted the knobs in front of the big set. This was the night that the United Nations in New York City was going to announce if Palestine was going to stay a British Mandate or if the country was going to become a free Jewish and Arab state, known as Israel. If it became Israel again it would be the first time since the Jews had gone into exile in Nebuchadnezzar Babylon.

"We don't have very good reception out here," Kitty remarked as the static got loud.

"Maybe the Nazis are trying to jam the radio like they did in Holland. We used to listen to Radio Oranje from the Dutch government in exile and the Nazis knew that so they'd make it difficult to listen. It was the only way to get true news and not Nazi trash," Hadassah said, biting her mouth. It was a nasty habit, she knew, but she only did it when she was nervous and finding out if she'd be free soon was up there with the D-Day invasion.

"We don't have Nazis in Palestine, Hadassah," Taha said as Grandfather Barak's voice came in clear after a second of a cheering crowd.

"Could have fooled me," Hadassah muttered softly under her breath.

"Although the vote is not yet complete I can tell you now that in 5 months and 16 days from this moment on May 15th 1948, the British will leave Palestine forever!" Barak yelled as everyone cheered. Hadassah, Ari, and Kitty hugged each other and Ari kissed Hadassah's forehead gently.

"Please. Please don't make a demonstration yet. I have still to read this statement from the National Committee. The final votes of the United Nations on the question of the Partition of Palestine into an independent Jewish state and an independent Arab state is as follows; 33 for. 13, against. 10 extentioned!" the crowd cheered again. Hadassah looked at Kitty and Ari, tears streaming down her face.

"We're free! I didn't think it would happen," Hadassah cried, her voice shaking as Ari held her tightly, rubbing her thin back gently.

The crowd on the radio got quiet again. "We would wish that the hour of parting between us and England would be one of honor. We must recall that in most instances British soldiers carried out the unrelenting policy of their government with tact and compassion. There are many places on record of British soldiers and sailors risking their lives to save Jewish refugees. And to the Arab population of Jewish Palestine we make the following appeal. The Grand Mufti has asked you to annihilate the Jewish population or to abandon your homes and your lands and to seek the weary paths of exile. We implore you, remain in your homes! And in your shops! We shall work together and we shall work together as equals in the free state of Israel!" Barak concluded his speech. The crowd cheered and voices in the crowd started to sing a song that Barak had told Hadassah, a month ago, was being considered a national anthem for Israel.

Hadassah looked up from her father's shoulder at Taha. He had lowered his head in grief. "Are you all right, Taha?" Hadassah asked, touching the Arab man's shoulder gently.

Taha stood and stalked away, but not before the other three could see the tears in his brown eyes. Ari snapped off the radio and walked to Taha. "Taha! Taha, what's wrong?" Ari asked his friend calmly.

"You and your daughter have won your freedom and I have lost mine," Taha said in a pained voice.

"But we have never had freedom; you or I. All of our lives; except for that time I was married to Hadassah's mother, we have been under British rule. Now we will be equal citizens in a free state of Israel. The resolution guarantees it," Ari indicated the radio.

"Guarantees are one thing. Reality's another. Now that they've made my lands and village a part of Israel-" Taha started to say.

"They're still your lands! They always will be!" Ari protested. Taha turned, a look of defeat in his eyes.

"I'm a minority compared to you and your daughter," Taha said stonily.

"We've always been friends. I was there for you when your father died and you were there when Dafna was killed and I had received the news that my wife had been murdered in Poland and there was no news about Hadassah. Minority or majority we've proved it makes no difference," Ari said calmly.

"It makes no difference? Why, you've worked so hard to bring this about!" Taha protested in shock.

"Because we have hundreds of thousands of people with no other place to go. That's how I found Hadassah. Would you say I had no right to have my daughter, a victim who came out of Hitler's nightmare, in my country with me?" Ari asked, his voice raising.

"And where shall my people go?" Taha asked, evading the question.

"Why should they go anywhere? This is their home as well as ours! Don't you see? We have to prove to the world that we can get along together. If we don't, then the British are right and we can't govern ourselves without their help," Ari said, sitting down.

A knock on the door broke into the conversation. Taha answered it. A man in a blue robe and keffiyah talked in Arabic to which Taha talked back. "Excuse me," Taha said abruptly.

"Papa, I'm sorry," Hadassah said, sitting on the footstool by Ari's feet and resting her head against his knee. Ari stroked her soft hair gently and sighed deeply as he looked at first Hadassah and then Kitty in confusion.

"All of our lives we've understood each other and loved each other as brothers. Now when it means everything I can't reach him," Ari said in defeat.

"You'll make him understand, Ari. I know you will. You made me and Hadassah understand," Kitty said in a soothing voice.

"Kitty, I've always understood. When I was in prison, after the Nazis beat me it and starved me, it was one of the things I had to look forward to," Hadassah said, squeezing Kitty's hand.

"Okay, then your father made me understand," Kitty said dryly. Ari smiled at his daughter and Kitty.

"You know, you're wonderful. I look at you and I ask myself what you are doing here in the middle of somebody else's fight? You should go back to America. You've had your Civil War," Ari said as Kitty rested her head on Ari's shoulder.

"I'm going to stay. I'm going to stay as long as you and Hadassah will have me. I promised I would remove the tattoo from Hadassah's arm," Kitty said.

"I love you, Kitty," Ari said, kissing Kitty through her hair.

"Hadassah, do you mind if I love your father?" Kitty asked.

"I did at first, but I saw you take care of Papa after he had been shot. I then realized you've been taking care of everyone since I met you in Cyprus," Hadassah said with a smile.

"So you really don't mind? I don't want you to think I'm trying to take your mother's place," Kitty said, squeezing Hadassah's hand.

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. For one thing you don't look like Mama and for another you're a nurse and Mama was a teacher and Mama would have liked you. You're a good Christian woman and very kind," Hadassah said, rolling her eyes.

"So what happened to your wrists?" Kitty asked, changing the subject so abruptly Ari and Hadassah looked at each other in surprise.

"Excuse me?" Hadassah asked, raising her soot-colored eyebrows.

"Your wrists are slightly crooked as if they'd been broken at one point and didn't heal right. I meant to ask, but I keep forgetting," Kitty said matter-of-factly.

"Right. Nurse. My hands were broken by a Nazi and they weren't bandaged. By the time I was coherent enough to realize I was recovering in England, the doctors there didn't want to try to fix that little problem. To them I was 11 years old and I was, to quote the, a "No-account Jewish orphan." At least they didn't use the insult the Nazis used on me. No one should be called a whore," Hadassah said with a bitter smile.

"The Nazis called a child a prostitute?" Kitty asked.

"Every Jewish woman and girl was called that. It didn't matter that I was more Christian than they were. It also didn't matter that my mother had married my father twice in a synagogue and Christian church. They said that Christian marriages don't apply to Jews. Of course I got angry and said that the Christ that they proclaim we killed was a Jew Himself and let's just say I limped for a week, they beat me so badly," Hadassah said limply. Taha came in at that moment, his face a picture of unease and alarm.


	21. Taha's Warning and Evacuation Plans

Chapter 21- Taha's Warning and Evacuation Plans

"Ari, you must leave right away; you and your daughter," Taha said quickly, driving from Ari's mind the revelations of Hadassah's prison history.

"Why?" Ari asked.

"Don't ask why. Just leave! Don't let anyone see you. Just stay off the road. Go through the olive grove," Taha said as Ari stood up.

"What happened?" Ari asked.

"You must evacuate Gan Dafna before midnight tomorrow night," Taha warned.

"I don't understand," Ari said confused.

"Don't ask questions. Just do it! If the children aren't out of this valley in 24 hours, they'll be butchered like sheep. I've also been told that your daughter will be killed with them since she survived the war and knows who some of the murderers are. They were soldiers at one of the death camps she was in and she didn't die from the typhus in Germany like they planned she would," Taha said.

"Taha, if any of the men in the house are planning an attack on Gan Dafna, then tell me!" Ari said sharply.

"Haven't I told you enough already? Do you want me to dishonor myself completely? Good-bye, Ari," Taha said as abruptly as he entered. Ari followed him to the door.

"Taha, wait! Those are the same gangsters who murdered your father and those Nazis murdered my wife and almost my daughter. You can't get involved with them!" Ari said, gripping Taha's arm.

"I know what I am doing. I know what I must do," Taha said in a defeated voice.

"We grew up as brothers, Taha. If there's any trouble with the Mufti's men, let's face it. Together. The way we always have. I'll get word to Papa and we'll defend Abu Yesha and Gan Dafna instead of surrendering," Ari said.

"I cannot do it, Ari. Today more than ever before I realize that I am a Muslim. I cannot go against my own people. I cannot kill another Arab. If you were ever my friend than prove it now by leaving this house," Taha turned to the door. He turned back to Ari and touched Ari's shoulder and Hadassah's face. "May Allah watch over the both of you all the days of your life." Taha left then.

Ari exhaled slowly as the door shut. He felt both Kitty's and Hadassah's hands on his shoulder blades. He turned to look at the two people he loved the most in this world. Ari wrapped one arm around Hadassah and the other around Kitty, hugging them both. "I love the both of you so much," Ari said, kissing Hadassah's and Kitty's foreheads.

"We love you too, Ari. So what are we going to do, Ari, about Gan Dafna and the Nazis who want to kill Hadassah?" Kitty asked, her eyes reflecting worry.

"We'll go to Gan Dafna and rescue the children and I can try to rescue Hadassah since I wasn't able to during the war," Ari hugged Hadassah again.

"Hadassah, do you know who'd want to kill you?" Kitty asked.

"Every former Nazi in Germany who was at Westerbork, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Terezin, or Bergen Belsen. But the only one who knew that I would contract typhus at Belsen was the commandant at Terezin and maybe one of his toad-faced lackeys when they realized I wouldn't give up Yeshua Christ, even after they nearly beat me to death," Hadassah said, making a face.

"Toad-faced?" Kitty asked, amused.

They all resembled very ugly toads. I remember Mama washing my mouth out when I said the Jewish professors at the Jewish Secondary School were ancient and looked ready for the old people's home when I was forced by Nazi decree to go to a Jewish school. But later after we were arrested and in the cattle cars on our way to Poland, Mama said they looked like toads and that got everyone in the car laughing hysterically," Hadassah said with a small giggle that took Ari back to when his daughter was small. So she hadn't forgotten how to laugh!

"Your mother was probably right about not insulting your teachers, but after what the Nazis did to you, I think they needed insulting," Kitty said as Ari went to the window and opened, the cool night air seeping in.

"Papa, what are you doing?" Hadassah asked, touching Ari's forearm with her small hands.

"If I remember correctly, there's a tree outside this window that we can use to climb down," Ari said, craning his neck so he could see better.

"Climb down a tree?" Kitty asked nervously.

"Didn't you ever climb down a tree, Kitty? I used to do it in Rotterdam. But I was doomed if Mama and Oma found out," Hadassah said with a grin.

"What happened if she found out?" Kitty asked, amused.

"She'd get my Opa or Uncle Micaiah to switch my legs with Oma's wooden spoon," Hadassah said with a smile and then grimaced.

"It must have really hurt," Kitty said sympathetically.

"I've been hit with worse. A wooden spoon is a picnic in the park on Shabbat compared to a bullwhip or a grown man's fist," Hadassah said with a wince.

Ari sat on the window ledge. "Hadassah, Kitty, I'll go first. Kitty, you come next and then Hadassah," Ari said, kissing Kitty briefly and gently touching Hadassah's face with his warm, calloused palm. Ari jumped out the window, followed by Kitty and Hadassah.

* * *

The lights of Gan Dafna were well lit as Ari, Kitty, and Hadassah entered the compound that same night. The radio room was warm compared to the outside. Even with a long-sleeved shirt of Russian design and a pair of pants Hadassah still felt the brisk chill in the late November air.

5 people were in the room and looked to them. "Ari, how are you?" Dov Landau asked, shaking Ari's hand.

"I'm fine. How many guns have you got?" Ari asked, going to the radio.

"8 and 180 molotovs. The British confiscated the rest," one of the men said.

"Yes, I know. I've heard," Ari said, looking as if he had a headache.

"Jordana went down to the fortress to try to get them back," the same man said.

"There's a detachment of Palmach's on the way. But the Jerusalem road has been cut in a dozen places. I sneaked in to let you know. Also Joseph ben Aaron wanted me to give this to you. He said he's sorry that he couldn't deliver this in person and that may Yeshua keep you as you walk in the faith of your fathers," Dov said, looking at Hadassah and holding out her Star of David. Hadassah felt her eyes fill with tears as she took it with trembling fingers.

"Thank you, Dov," Hadassah said, feeling her father's strong hand on the back of her neck, rubbing her head gently. With shaking hands she fastened the necklace around her neck.

"I still think that is the most unusual and beautiful Star of David I've ever seen. I've seen gold and silver stars and the ones worn on the clothes when my husband had an assignment in Delft, Holland during the war," Kitty said.

"It's special to me. My father gave it to me ten years ago. It's my past and my future. That's why I couldn't let the Nazis steal it. It would be like Esau selling his birthright for soup," Hadassah said in a broken voice.

"What is the plan? We plan to fight to defend the kibbutz and the village until the end. Nothing is to be surrendered," Dov said, changing the subject and handing Ari a cup of coffee.

"Is the transmitter working?" Ari asked.

"Yes," the first man said as they walked to the radio.

"Then send it," Ari said. "Gan Dafna expects an attacking force by tomorrow night. Get the Palmach on the way. Tell them to hurry. We have 300 children here and 8 guns. That's all," Ari said, taking a drink of coffee as the door opened and Jordana entered the room. She kissed both Ari and Hadassah's cheeks.

"Ari, Hadassah, the commander refuses to return our weapons. He said it would only provoke violence. He also said that he knows that it was Hadassah who blew up the wall at Acre Prison. He says if I want to blame someone, I should blame Hadassah. He won't even interfere in local problems any more, except to punish troublemakers. He even said that if Hadassah causes any more trouble, he'll see that she rots in jail. I said she was only fourteen, but he said that she's a Christ killer who pretends His mercy is for the Jew," Jordana said forlornly.

Hadassah's eyes filled with anger and tears. "Unbelievable. I never pretended any such thing! Yeshua's mercy is for everyone. It is for the Jew as much as it it for the gentile," Hadassah said, her breath coming out in sharp gasps.

"Careful, Kichel. We don't need you to have one of your asthma attacks," Ari warned.

"All right. I'm calm. I'm not going to get angry," Hadassah said in a brittle voice.

"I guess he thinks we're troublemakers if we try to defend ourselves and the children. And he knows that the border is alive with armed Arabs. I also think the Mufti's men, along with some former Nazis, have taken over Abu Yesha. Taha warned us to evacuate here before midnight tomorrow," Ari said, sitting down and taking a sip of coffee. Ari thought briefly and then looked at one of the women. "How many children do we have here under the age of thirteen?" Ari asked quickly.

"About 250," she said. Ari thought just as quickly as the question he just asked.

"Well, we'll have to get them to Beth Amal tonight, and secretly, so the Arabs don't know. We'll go around the valley instead of through it. That'll take us closer to the border, but we'll have to risk it. We'll go through certain villages undetected and on the other side of Mount Tabor," Ari said, between sips of coffee.

"You cant get down the other side of Tabor in day time much less at night. You'll kill half of them, including your daughter," the man who had been doing all the talking said grimly.

"Well, I'd rather lose half of them and Hadassah there than all of them here," Ari said in a low voice. "And with luck, we'll be back at sunrise. That'll mean that the older children will have to handle things until we get back," Ari said.

"Papa, what if they attack tonight?" Hadassah asked, noting the unspoken question on everyone's mind.

"That's a risk we are going to have to take. Dov, you organize outside defense. Jordana, you take the inner area and make it look as though we've got a thousand people here. Let's get to work," Ari said, standing up and they went to the dormitories and bungalows.


End file.
